Bloody Roar: The Forgotten
by Steelborg
Summary: This story is set after BR1 but before BR2, basically it is set on what happened in between those five years. The heroes have taken down the Tylon Corporation, but not the man who came up with the plan. That person is looking to tie up loose ends, and set revenge on the Zoanthropes for foiling his plot.
1. Chapter 1: A New Beginning

**Chapter 1**

 **A New Beginning**

Disclaimer: The characters in the story do not belong to me. All of the Bloody Roar characters belong to Konami/or former Hudson Soft now. However, the ones that are not in the video games series itself belong to me. ^^

Dedication: I want to dedicate this story to Tiger5913 for the one that started the Bloody Roar category and stories, and Indigo Siren for posting up the stories that were originally posted some years ago.

Synopsis – Before the events of BR2, what did the ones that took down the Tylon Corporation do? See the untold years of Yugo, Alice, Gado, and some of the others of what they did during those five years set after BR1. Some of the remnants of Tylon have lain low, and have been slowly gathering their forces to make a comeback. Yugo and his friends may have stopped the company that planned to use zoanthropes as weapons on the world, but they never stopped the mastermind who came up with the plan. The man that was in charge of the Tylon Corporation plans to tie up loose ends, and take his revenge upon Gado.

 **Bloody Roar: The Forgotten**

 **By Demitri-Ivanov-Steelborg**

 **Prologue**

It has been three years since the fall of the Tylon Corporation, its operations ceased thanks to a group of zoanthropes rebelling against the evil company's plans. The plan was to use the power of their animal forms, brainwash them into obedient soldiers, and use them for military purposes to sell for the highest bidder. However, there was one thing the group did not count on, which was the mastermind that pulled the strings.

A man sat in a chair, in an undisclosed area from the public. While he was in his lab, he typed away on a computer and looked at the various people that were involved. His eyes stopped at an image of a familiar brunette, the lips turning into a slight scowl. _'Alan Gado, your best friend's son and your comrades may have foiled my plans but rest assured your day will come.'_ He thought, standing up and going to a wall with newspaper clippings.

Gazing at the various pictures of Yugo's career as a professional boxer, it amused the man. Everyone else laid low from the public eye, yet this twenty-year old zoanthrope stood out like a sore thumb. _'Oh Gado, you really have no idea what's in store for you and your friends.'_ He thought as he mentally chuckled. _'They were smart to hide from me… Yet your other best friend's son just made it all too easy. Yugo being in the spotlight as a boxer… I intend on finding him and harm him. By doing so I plan on drawing you out as well 'old friend', taking everything you hold dear and valuable.'_

…

Outside of school, a twenty-year old man was waiting outside of an elementary school. He had short brown hair with long fringes on both sides of his head and chestnut colored eyes. What made him stand out was the X scar on his face. He wore a red sleeveless muscle shirt, with a short-sleeved jean vest with a hood over it, dark gray jeans, along with matching orange fingerless gloves and red shoes, and stood about 5'9".

He looked at his watch, seeing there was only a minute left and waited for the signal… Which was now, as the school bell rang. Looking through the crowd of young children, he spotted the young boy he was looking for. "Hey Kenji, I'm over here!" He shouted to get his attention.

The young boy was twelve-years old of age, looking to where the voice came from. He had cobalt blue hair styled with spiked bangs on the right side of his head pointing upwards and stood about 4'11". He mostly wore a white button-up shirt, tan khakis, and white sneakers. Seeing the brunette wave his arms in exaggerated enthusiasm, he let out a small laugh.

As the youth walked over to his enthusiastic 'brother', he looked up at him with his gold eyes. "Yugo, don't tell me you waited outside for me all day." He said, half-joking but half-serious. The last thing he wanted was his teachers questioning his caretaker's mentality.

"Kenji, I'm hurt you would say such a thing." The brunette said in mock hurt, exaggerating with displaying his hand on the left side of his chest, and the other on his forehead.

"He does make a point Yugo." A feminine spoke up, her words mostly aimed at the wolf zoanthrope.

Yugo's eyes comically widened and a large anime sweatdrop appears on the left side of his head. Slowly turning his head, he gave the person a sideways glance and instantly recognized the voice from one of his friends. "A-Ally, h-how long were you standing there?"

The woman was about the same age as Yugo. She had purple hair back length hair in two pigtails, red eyes, and was slender and petite in size about 5'2". She wore a pink sleeveless blouse with red trimming, a purple knee length shirt, with long white socks that stopped to her knees, and soft brown shoes. "Just long enough to see you be funny." She joked but smiled in good nature.

Yugo huffs his cheeks, turning his glance away from Alice. "So, how's college coming along?" He asked, changing the subject so that the attention wasn't on him. Sure, he could act childish and silly, but he could be mature and act his age. It just wasn't all the time was all.

"Oh, it's coming along great! I hope to apply as a nurse at a hospital when I graduate." Alice said, knowing she wanted to help people in general.

When Yugo listened in on Alice's answer, the first thing that came to his mind was Alice in a sexy nurse's outfit. The mental image gave Yugo naughty thoughts, grinning like a silly oaf with a bit of drool coming down the side of his mouth. _'If Ally becomes a nurse…That means she has her legs out on display, that uniform hugging to her every curve, and maybe a nice view of her-'_ His thoughts were cut off when the sound of a whistle was blown, covering his ears and howled slightly.

The whistle came from a young girl, about Kenji's age and stood about two inches shorter than him. She had long brown hair with the back tied in a single braid and large fringes on both sides of her head that were longer than Yugo's and brown eyes. She wore a blue and white jacket, a light blue blouse buttoned-up to her neck, navy blue shorts, and white sneakers with blue trimming. "Bad doggy, don't you even think about my big sis that way in that canine brain!" She said, the expression on her face serious but her big innocent eyes just added the cuteness to it.

"Oh come on, you're too young to understand that stuff!" Yugo exclaimed in comical anger, removing his hands from his ears. "And I'm not a dog… I'm a wolf."

Alice let out an exaggerated sigh, knowing what Uriko was talking about. It was about three years ago that Yugo was stopping by with Kenji, just so Uriko and Kenji were out on their 'play date'. The young wolf zoanthrope was attempting to flirt with Alice, wanting to see if he could get a date with his childhood friend. Of course, he wasn't aware that Mitsuko, the shopkeeper and Alice's adoptive mother, saw the whole thing. She had chased Yugo all over the house with a broom in both hands, hearing a few good smacks, and could've sworn that Mitsuko pulled on Yugo's ear to give him a lecture of how to treat women.

Yugo shuddered at that memory, knowing full well the boar zoanthrope had a fiery temper. It was that same temper that helped them take down the Tylon Corporation to save Uriko at the time. Yet this side of her temper, the one were the maternal instinct kicked in, gave him nightmares. Well that, and the broom that she used to whack him with. "Just don't mention the broom… please." He muttered in a low voice.

"Okay, okay, that's enough you two." Alice said, breaking up the 'war' so that it wouldn't go on any further. Not that it did, but the last thing she needed was for Yugo to act like a pouting child. Walking over to her childhood friend, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "So, how are things between you and Kenji?"

Yugo looked at Alice, his chestnut eyes on the purple-haired woman and it was his turn to share his own slice of life. "It's been great, Kenji is physically and mentally healthy and he's opening up to me more. He isn't full of energy like the other kids at school, but from what I heard he gets good grades and he behaves very well in class." He explained. He knew the other boy was one of Tylon's experiments in brainwashing or experimenting on anyone with zoanthrope DNA or forced to be one through artificial gene-splicing. "As for monthly incomes, my career as a boxer is a real breakthrough. The more I win, the higher the raise. So there's not much to complain about."

Alice nodded her head, leaning in a bit closer to his ear. What looked like to be something intimate between the two, a sudden air of seriousness came over Alice. "Just be careful… I know we've all laid low after the fall of the Tylon Corporation, but you're putting yourself out there."

Yugo looked at Alice with a calm expression on his face, his lips curving into a slight smirk. "Don't worry Ally, if those bastards come for me, I'll set them straight." He reassured her with a smile.

…

Elsewhere across the world, an underground entertainment was happening in New York City. It was mostly at an abandoned factory near the pier. While normally it was shady business that went down, but during nights like this only fun was allowed. The only rule was not to tell anyone about what went down.

The crowds were cheering for a daredevil motorcyclist that was doing stunts through flaming hoops and over a tank filled with great white sharks. He wore a black leather jacket with red and yellow markings on it, a red hooded sweatshirt, black jeans, with matching red gloves and boots with black and yellow trimming, and stood about 6'2". Landing on the other side, the motorcyclist put the brakes on, and took off his helmet to reveal a nineteen-year old with white hair with electric blue highlights and blue eyes.

"Thank you folks, you're all too kind!" He shouted to the crowd, pumping his fist into the air. Walking over to the stage that had the microphone, he took it and brought it to his mouth. "Just remember in two weeks time, I will not only be doing more stunts but also participating in a cage match! So get your excitement and remember… It's being held in the basement of this exact location!"

The crowd cheered the young man on, chanting the name 'Jet' as he left the stage. As he became to walk in the hallways, he saw his manager with a suitcase. "So Tony, I take it we brought in the right amount of people for tonight's entertainment?" He asked.

"Right amount is the understatement Jet my boy." The man spoke, having black hair, mustache, and mostly wore a black suit. "You sold out an entire building just to cover the seats! You keep this up, you and I can retire early. Anyway, here's your cut of a solid sixty million!"

"Whoa, sixty million… Since when did we become so red hot?" Jet asked, hearing a clapping from down the hallway. His blue eyes caught the attention of a man with an odd appearance. He was a thirty-three year old Japanese man with a shaved head but had green hair sticking up, along with a green goatee, and stood about 6'3". He wore a neon green t-shirt with the sleeves being light blue and red, red shorts, open sandals, and wrist bands.

"That was a very grand performance, one fitting of a man such as your self." The green haired man grinned, complimenting the motorcyclist. The mere appearance of him screamed off eccentric and loud, but something about the man wasn't right.

"I'm sorry, if you're looking for autographs you're going to have to come back next week Mister…" The manager spoke, his voice trailing off as he didn't know the man's name.

"Where are my manners, my name is Busuzima Hajime." Busuzima introduced himself, bowing out his head and using his custom form of greeting of his culture. While he didn't use it in general, he wanted to keep up appearance to throw them off guard. "My boss would like to meet with you… He's heard of your 'special abilities'."

Jet looked at the man, getting an odd feeling about him. He looked at Tony, motioning for them to split. "That sounds interesting Mr. Busuzima, but we need to get going." He said, turning around and quickened his pace. _'Geez, something about him gives me the shivers…Might need a long shower after that to get the image of him out of my head.'_ He thought in his mind.

Busuzima watched the two leave, scowling in frustration. Letting out a low growl of annoyance, he slammed his fist against the wall. "You can't deny your 'other side', blending in with these… inferior humans." He muttered in a low voice. Obviously his boss would not care if he didn't get anyone. However, he had his own agenda and wanted to study Jet's DNA… Something that was quite rare about the youth. He pulled his fist back, showing a few cracks and some of the pieces fell to the ground from his immense strength. _'No matter… I've got my other precious projects to_ _keep me occupied.'_

Tony shuddered, getting Jet's attention as the older man took a deep breathe. "Man, talk about a freak show there. You ask me, I think I'll take seven years of bad luck than look at that face again." He said in a low voice, hoping that Busuzima was out of ear range.

"Or that a mirror would just crack itself from seeing the sight of him." Jet joked, earning a laugh from his manager. Despite how the nature of the underworld business worked between managers and the people they represented, Jet and Tony always split everything equally. While the earnings were good, Jet enjoyed the challenge and the adrenaline rush that came with it. He felt alive.

"Good one Jet. Anyway, the total was actually one-hundred million, so I figured I'd give you an extra of my cut." Tony said, earning a look of surprise from his partner. "Besides, I figured the extra money would do you good… I know you're bravado is just for show, but you're a good kid and you have a future to look out for."

Jet let a small smile show, shaking his head in amusement. "You plan on leaving this business, aren't you?"

"Hey, my one way dream is to go to retire in Fiji, meet a nice woman, and settle down there." Tony grinned, being a man of simple taste. Despite the growing wealthy status he had, he liked to spend his time being around other people in restaurants and enjoy their company. To him, being around others is what made it worth while.

"You do that, I'm going to blow this popsicle stand." Jet gave Tony the thumbs up, walking to the nearest exit. Opening the door, he saw a young woman waiting outside. "Hey G.I. Jane, are you waiting for someone?" He asked, using his witty-nature to get her attention.

This caused the person to turn around in response, smirking a bit and rolled her eyes in amusement. "You're extremely lucky I don't jab you in the jaw for that." She said, walking up to him and playfully punching his arm.

She was a young woman around seventeen-years old with peach skin, blonde hair, light blue eyes, and stands at 5'6". Her hair was styled somewhat messily and is spiked backwards. In front, she has bangs that part near the center of her hairline. Her body was toned, clad in a dark gray sleeveless shirt that hugged her upper body and showed her naval, baggy brown camouflage pants, brown combat boots, a matching dark green bomber jacket with a cat's eye insignia on the back of it, and tan fingerless gloves.

"Yeah, I'll make sure not to 'stir the wrath' of Shina." Jet said, leaning down and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. He knew she wasn't comfortable with public displays of affection out in the open, but that didn't stop him from teasing her once in awhile.

Shina felt a touch of redness in her cheeks, pulling the collar of her bomber jacket up. Last thing she needed was someone spotting her. She was the daughter of the legendary mercenary. Even though they weren't related by blood, she admired his status as someone who fought to protect people. She took down an entire platoon at the mere age of thirteen. While her father was intent on wanting her to live a normal life, that didn't stop her from becoming a mercenary like him. Just one more day of high school, and she can sign up with the same military that her father was in.

"So, how long do you plan on doing dangerous stunts?" Shina asked, wanting the focus on something else other than her. She wasn't interested in being around other people, but she was sort of a loner by nature. The idea of a young soldier like her, blending in with regular people, it made her feel like an outcast.

"Not for long to be honest. Maybe after a gig or two and I will be calling it quits. I want to finish college in one piece and pay off any student loans in the future." Jet said, his blue eyes moving to Shina. He was curious on what was going through her mind. "What about you? Still intend on graduating high school and becoming a mercenary?"

"Your damn straight I am," Shina answered sharply, seeing the calm expression on Jet's face. "And don't talk me out of it either."

Jet held his hands up in self-defense, knowing Shina could be quite touchy about being talked out of things. Once she had her mind set on something, it was best not to get on her bad side. "Easy, retract those claws… I know you're dead set on becoming like your old man, but I want you to be careful. I support your dream, but you always got to weigh your options as well."

"I know," Shina sighed, leaning close to the taller male. "But I can hold my own… I don't want to be treated like a little kid."

It was one of those rare moments where Shina could open up to him, showing her vulnerable side to those she knew. The closest anyone to seeing her this way was Jet and her father Alan Gado. Although that was toned down as Shina drew older, wanting to be independent at times. But she still showed her soft spot to her father every now and then. Jet pulled her into a tight hug, holding her close to him. He didn't need words to know how Shina felt, but that didn't stop her from wanting to be held. It was hard for them to do a long-distance relationship, but thankfully his father and mother knew Gado as a friend of the family. That, and thankfully it was Spring Break so it wasn't so bad.

…

In the distance, Busuzima spied on the two with his binoculars. He had a vicious smirk on his lips, knowing that Jet had a weakness after all. And it wasn't his friendship with his manager that he could exploit as well. "Well, looks like the stupid kid has a pretty girlfriend I can use to my advantage-"

As he was cut off in mid-sentence, someone pulled him up from behind by his shirt collar. The figure was a twenty-one year old young man with short blonde hair, silver eyes, sharp features on his face, and stood about 6'0". He wore a dark purple and silver zip-up shirt and periwinkle collar along with matching pants, along with purple gloves and shoes with silver markings on them.

"Put me down, I wasn't going to do anything, not little ol' me!" Busuzima exclaimed, putting on his best innocent face, staring into the eyes of the blonde man that held him at bay.

"Stay away from Jet… I made it very clear I don't want him as apart of my plans." The young man spoke, his tone deathly serious and his glare very dangerous to boot.

Busuzima grinned, seeing where this was going. And he saw right through this young man's act. "I'm guessing you're either being territorial about wanting to kill Jet Raxton, or…"

The blonde man raised an eyebrow, wondering why Busuzima always liked to toy with peoples' minds. "Just spit it out already Busuzima!"

"Or you want to protect your best friend." Busuzima finished his sentence, looking at the young man's eyes that widened briefly. Then he saw that he regained that serious composure, not wanting to expose the vulnerable side of his colleague. Being let go, he was back on the ground. "After all, you and Jet share a history, don't you Slade?"

Slade then narrowed his eyes again Busuzima, his hand aimed at the green-haired man's throat, keeping his eyes focused on the slimy man. "Push it any further, I'll cut out your tongue and use to wrap about your neck and squeeze the life out of you."

Busuzima grinned, transforming into a chameleon zoanthrope. Jumping backwards, he moved quick and turned invisible. Using the darkness to his advantage, he could easily dominate Slade and make him show who was the strongest. After all, he was the one that gave Slade and several others the artificial gene-splicing.

Slade knew he was at a disadvantage, knowing the green-haired man was not as dumb as he looked. No, Busuzima was not stupid. Underneath the eccentricity, arrogance, and bravado was a scientist with an incredible intelligence. Yet at the same time, that scientist was a sadist who took great joy in seeing others suffered in pain, and a dangerous curiosity of how the zoanthrope gene could be activated.

Busuzima came out of hiding, appearing right before Slade. Using his tongue to grab him, it was caught by the silver-eyed man. _'Shit! This is not good!'_ He thought in his head. It looked like he was about to live up through his threat.

Slade could've easily slain Busuzima, thinking the scientist deserved it. As he transformed into a humanoid falcon, he flew up higher into the sky and looked at the chameleon before him whaling for his life in comical fashion. Not having it in him, he flapped his wings and tossed the reptilian scientist to the ground. Landing on the ground, he reverted to his human form and sighed. "You're not worth it." He said, his eyes narrowing dangerously at the scientist. "If you ever approach Jet again, I will end you."

Busuzima returned to his human form, watching Slade walk away into the night. Gingerly rubbing his tongue, he narrowed his eyes at the young bird that. He just merely showed a sadistic grin. _'Slade may play favorites for the people he chooses in the Night Brigade…But what if I set something up for the boss was to meet an unfortunate death.'_ Taking out his cell phone, he played the sound of Slade's voice and cackled with amusement as his evil plan was going smoothly.

…

Go easy on me folks, this is my very first Bloody Roar story. Well, I did work on at least three in the past, but this is my first ongoing one with multi-chapters. This is set in the five year stretch, basically after BR1 but before BR2. So you will all see BR2 characters that might make cameos or play a role in the story such as Busuzima. I can reassure that you'll also see the BR1 characters, but only ones that will play a role in the story.


	2. Chapter 2: Fox Hunt

Chapter 2: Fox Hunt

 **Chapter 2**

 **Fox Hunt**

As three days passed, the activities of the Night Brigade were being noticed. It was only noticed by some of the FBI, being contained in the United States of New York. They were a group of vigilantes, leaving a trail of vicious beating on criminals and gangs. Their calling card was a symbol of with a stylized 'N and B'.

Some praised them for their cause to beat down people who were prejudice against the zoanthropes. It was the other half were suspicion and feared they were a bad influence. The idea of zoanthrope freedom fighters who opposed the evils of the world, if left unchecked could problems.

Within one of the offices of MI: 6, a twenty-year old young man was looking through his computer. Hearing rumors of a similar incident in England, he already finished his paper work and put it in a binder. He was looking through a file of one of the Tylon Corporations' top assassins by the name of Hans Taubemann aka Fox. His blue eyes studied the man, moving the frost blue bangs away from his eyes to get a better look at him.

' _Hans…I know you're in England, but where?'_ The young man wondered in his mind. What caught his interest was the dental work of a deceased woman from three years ago, brutally killed in an alley. With the dental work, DNA test, and some left over skin samples from the killer, the results were shocking. Tracking down Fox was important to him and maybe he could get some answers. He wanted to know why his superiors didn't want him looking into the Tylon Corporation. Being stubborn and curious got him into trouble and researching one of assassins he was looking for could spell trouble for him.

"You shouldn't go poking your nose into something that's dangerous."

The young man stood up, ready to fight if he had to. Taking the stance of the praying mantis fighting style, he looked around the area. "You better show yourself. I won't hesitate to put you down." He said in a serious tone.

A sigh escaped from the voice, coming out of the shadows. "Calm down, I'm not looking for trouble." Revealing the figure, it was a tall slender woman that spoke in a British accent. Her blue eyes focused on the frost blue haired agent, showing a slight smirk. "I was going to say curiosity killed the cat, but I guess you love biting heads off of those who make jokes… Alfred Blood."

Alfred took in the appearance of his co-worker. She had her short blonde hair done in a bob. The outfits she wore were the sexiest: She wore a short crimson leather coat stopping to cover her lower crotch, and leaving the top done revealing her cleavage. Her curvaceous legs from that 5'7" frame were on display, and black leather high-heel boots that stopped below her knees made her look dangerous.

"Sometimes I wonder why you haven't been called out on your disobedience of dress code." He called her out, not seeing a reaction from her. However, he did see a mock pout coming from her, which earned him a chuckle.

Taking in his appearance, she knew Alfred was not one to talk. He wore a white coat with a black rim collar and dark red lining on the inside that stopped to his knees, a blue button-up shirt, red tie, white dress pants, along with matching black fingerless gloves and leather shoes, and stood about 5'10".

Jenny knew Alfred to be a stickler when it came to the rules on missions. However, he did have a good sense of humor, and was known for his gentleman nature. Yet he had his flaws, and it was best not to mention his said flaws. Having earned a chuckle from him, she stretched her body.

"From the way you say it, you're implying I'm a slut." Jenny said in mock hurt, bending down. Along the way, her hands sensually touch her leg. They travel down to the left side of her leather boot, and her hand pulls out a piece of paper. It was neatly folded into a square. "And I wonder if I should give you this article… After all, I wanted to make sure your little 'side quest' would wrap up soon."

Alfred looked at Jenny with surprise, walking over to her. "He's still here, in England I mean?" He asked, groaning inwardly and took a deep breathe. With the way Jenny was looking, all sexy with the posing and fake pout made him feel regret. "Listen… I'm… sorry I disrespected you in anyway."

Jenny let a genuine smile show on her red lips, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It takes a lot more than that to get under my skin." She reassured him, taking his hand and placed the paper in his hand. While she reveled in her glamour as a model, she did like to inspire others to have courage. It was in her nature to tease them, but to help bring out that spark and ignite that fire into a strong spirit. "It's the location of Hans' whereabouts."

"You've been a big help Jenny." Alfred said, blushing a bit when Jenny took his hand and gave him the paper. As he unfolded the paper, he read the location of Fox's whereabouts. "This will be a big help."

Jenny shrugged and crossed her arms underneath her ample chest. "That's the nature of my job." She said, making him aware of her other 'job'. It was her duty as a secret-ops spy to take any mission and complete it. It was a good thing Alfred paid up front, and located the former Tylon assassin. There was also one more thing she needed to make him be aware of. "The sooner you leave the quicker you can get to him."

Now he really was under the pressure, looking down at the floor. Not only would he be looking to meet Fox, but taking him the truth and how he would react. "I better move then." He said, taking Jenny by the shoulders. Normally it wasn't in his nature, but he hugged the older woman in a tight embrace. "I wish I could repay you somehow."

Jenny was surprised by the hug, but she resumed her trademark smile. She returned the favor by embracing him back gently and patted his back. "Go find Fox."

Watching the frost haired agent leave, he bent down to the right side of her boot. Taking out a cell phone, she dialed a secure line and placed the phone near her ear. "The Night Brigade plan on targeting Fox, and I'm thinking you are right… They're attacking those from the Tylon Corporation." She said as she started making her walk out of Alfred's office and into the hallway of the building.

On the other side of the phone, Gado left a soft groan escape. After all these years, the remnants of the Tylon Corporation were still around. With the company taken down, he wondered how many of its' people were still around? "I knew this would happen." He said, taking a deep breathe. He knew Yuji's spirit would never rest, not until those bastards paid for what they had done to his best friend. "Listen, I'll handle things from here. You go on your day like you normally would. I told MI: 6 that I would require one of their agents to help me look into Night Brigade."

"You sure know a lot of people." Jenny commented, feeling the conversation with them growing silent. She and Gado shared a lot of history and common ground: Both were people that were hired to do duties to help their country, and they were also zoanthropes.

"Such is the life of a mercenary." Gado let a small chuckle out, trying to lighten the mood. He knew he wanted to reconnect with Jenny, but with the way things were it was too risky. Although, it wouldn't hurt to tell her what was going on, and maybe put her mind at ease. "Our daughter is going to graduate next year."

Jenny smiled at the mention of their daughter, placing a hand in the middle of her chest. In her heart, she knew Shina was in good hands. Gado had adopted her, but in reality she was their daughter. There were a lot of painful memories of having to leave her with strangers, but they were people that Gado knew before the terrible accident. "How is she? Jane I mean."

"She prefers Shina, but… Our 'not so little' girl is looking to be like me when she gets out." Gado said, his voice showing signs of stiffness. He would be more than proud of Shina be fighting for her country. Yet at the same time, he feared losing her to this senseless war. God help him, if he lost his daughter to the corporation, he would let those that followed the fallen corporation his and Jenny's wrath. "I have to go… I'll call you back as soon as I can."

"I know, and be careful out there soldier boy." Jenny said, hearing Gado hang up first. Jenny hung up her cell phone to end her call. A sad sigh escaped, exiting the building. While she modeled and took missions, those were distractions to keep her mind off of her own sadness. All her life she was told on how to be a 'proper lady'. When she laid eyes on Gado, she became smitten by him. Through the lion zoanthrope's compassion, Jenny had found happiness. However, that happiness was short-lived when the Tylon Corporation was starting to kidnap zoanthropes. Gado took their daughter to a village far away from urban society. They also had to part, not wanting to risk being caught by agents from their enemies and be used for horrific acts.

' _Gado, I love you and Jane too much…Even though I have developed a life of my own, I still yearn to be happy again with what we had. Normally I would respect your wishes for the sake of my well being, but I can't stand and watch from the shadows.'_ Jenny concluded in her mind that she needed to help Gado on his mission, and that someone as nice as Alfred deserved to live

…

In the area of Eaton Square of London, England a twenty-five year old man was walking up to the front door. He entered the lavish white building, mostly wearing dark clothes. He mostly wore a dark trench coat, a black brim hat, and dark glasses to conceal his eyes. It wasn't to make it feel like he was blind, but he had to keep his looks covered to not be recognized.

Once he entered the room he stayed in, he closed the door and took a long deep breathe. Taking off the hat and glasses, his face showed to have sharper features with the blonde hair having been cut to his collar bone, and the once deadly blue eyes were now softened. Hans Taubemann, the once assassin known as Fox, had faked his own death and laid low for the last three years.

Ever since the Tylon Corporation fell apart, the vicious fox zoanthrope had to stay under the radar. Unfortunately his baser instincts got the best of him, crossing paths with a woman. However, she was not an ordinary woman… It turned out the woman he killed was his own mother. The same woman that abandoned him and her last words were 'She should've done now right by him'. Breaking down in hysterical laughter, his mind crashing from the act, it drove him insane. Suicide was the best answer, but he heard footsteps when his laugh caught someone's attention.

Using his enhanced dexterity, he jumped from wall to wall and looked at the scene from the rooftops. Having observed it from the top of the building, Fox ran as fast as he could. Once his mind was clear, he felt nothing but guilt. Seeing the blood of the woman that he killed, he knew he couldn't wash off what he did. It would never go away… He needed to fade away into obscurity and be forgotten.

For the last three years, Hans now blended in with the people he had once deemed as 'ugly'. Using his connections, he found work as a 'secretary' for a wealthy company that was mostly a law firm. As a contingency plan, Tylon created various aliases and backgrounds for their elite assassins in case the company ever fallen. Right now Hans used the alias of 'Edward Neal', a successful organizer that kept a mental record of all the files that all the lawyers asked for and Hans could recollect it like that.

Hans may have been a psychotic killer who reveled at the sight of blood, but he was not stupid. Using his looks to use as a psychological game, he could make anyone do what he wanted. Being manipulative was in his twisted nature. However, he needed to continue that manipulation for a 'survival' nature. Living a 'normal life' was not easy with paying bills, gas, insurance, food, clothes, and rent. Thankfully he had money for previous life as a killer, and the money from the law firm did pay extremely well.

Placing his trench coat and hat on the rack, he went over and sighed with satisfaction. Thankfully another day was over, meaning he could relax. Gone was the pink and purple leathery street punk look, replaced with a formal black business suit. While he did enjoy wearing bright colors, he didn't want people to put two and two together.

A knock was heard from the other side of the door, causing Hans to glance over and raise an eyebrow. _'Please don't let it be one of the neighbors,'_ the blonde man begged in his mind. In the complex, he made several friends over the past three years. They were good people and accepted him, but it was a way to help him blend in. Right now he just wanted his alone time. _'Screw it, the faster I do it the quicker I can get my 'me time''_

Opening the door, he quickly took in the appearance of a young woman. Hans took in her appearance, being an eighteen-year old woman of Brazilian mixed with African descent with dark skin. She had long dark hair with blonde streaks on her bangs and at the bottom of her hair, emerald green eyes, and stood about 5'4". "I'm looking for an 'Edward Neal'."

Hans took in the young woman's words, raising a delicate eyebrow. "Who wants to know?" He inquired, showing a small smirk. While he had developed a front as 'being a reserved and kind' young man, the flirty side of his previous self showed. It wasn't the vicious side of him, but more along the lines of playful. Still, this woman was easy on the eyes.

She had a very curvaceous body and large assets in all right areas. She wore a dark-gray jacket with crimson and orange markings on it with a Night Brigade 'insignia' on the back, along with a matching leather mini-skirt. What maybe helped was the strapless crimson tube top she wore, displaying his large cleavage and showed her naval area. Finally with his legs out on display, she wore crimson leather boots with gold and orange metal designs along the matching fingerless gloves.

The young woman gazed at Hans, feeling a blush show on her cheeks and shook her head. She certainly didn't expect her boss to show interest of recruiting him back in. Having only known him by reputation as Fox, the young girl didn't expect him to have an effeminate appearance, yet have such a charming smile and pretty face.

"My name is Elsa Gonzalez." She introduced herself, regaining her composure. Having known to be the most serious of the group, she kept those that feared her in line. Last thing she needed was for her associates to tease her of her crush on him. "My boss has heard of your valuable skills."

"By 'valuable skills', you mean my organizing skills?" Hans asked, playing along to keep his front. Whoever this woman was, he certainly knew she must've been some distraction. Maybe she witnessed him kill his mother? No way, he would've heard someone in the alley on that dark day with the enhanced hearing of his fox form.

Elsa knew she wasn't getting anywhere by beating around the bush. Forcefully pushing Fox to the floor, she entered into his condo and closed the door. "Don't play stupid 'Edward'… Or should I say Fox?"

Hans felt himself be pushed by the sudden force of this young woman. Feeling his body go tense, he became defensive and looked serious. However, his lips curved into a frown and narrowed his eyes at her. "Sorry kid, but those days as… Fox… are dead. So if you're here for revenge, I welcome death…"

"You misunderstand… The Night Brigade is interested in your skills to kill again." Elsa explained, making her intentions clear to the blonde man. "Only we plan on taking out those that were apart from the Tylon Corporation."

Now this took an interesting turn, as Hans' blue eyes sparking with interest. He remembered the people that gave him missions, and never bothered to question his superiors or claim up the ladder in terms of ranks. "Really? The same organization I worked for."

"Yes, our boss is someone that despises corruption… I was approached and offered me a chance for a new life." Elsa explained, walking over in front of Hans. Stopping in front of him, she arched down and looked at him. "Wouldn't you want that?"

Hans looked at Elsa, who had a genuine look and offered her hand to him. He would've jumped at the chance to accept, a part of him was considering the deal. If he took the deal, that would mean he'd give up his 'normal life'. Yet if he turned it down, he could continue to lay low and continue to make a living for himself.

Hearing another knock, he looked at the door. "Let me guess, more friends?" Hans inquired, looking at Elsa. Listening to the knock of the door again, he rolled his eyes and breathed a frustrated sigh. "Go hide in the room. It's on the left."

Once things were settled, Hans gathered himself and put on some glasses. If he were to appear as 'Edward Neal', he needed to throw someone off. Approaching the door once more, he opened it and found a frost haired man clad in white. _'Huh? I must say, if this is a friend of Elsa's, he certainly is easy on the eyes.'_ He thought in his mind, smiling inwardly. While Fox may have cross-dressing tendencies, the fox zoanthrope was bisexual after all. He liked to flirt with his co-workers, both male and female. Using his looks and charm to earn their trust, he mostly manipulated them to get his way. "Hi, can I help you?"

Alfred gazed at Hans, meeting the older man for the first time. Never in his twenty years would he meet the top-ranked assassin of Tylon, but he mentally reminded himself to play it cool. A side of him wanted to dish it out with 'Fox', wanting to avenge the poor woman that he killed. Yet he remembered that the blonde man was misunderstood, and never had anyone by his side to support him.

"Actually, yes you can. May I come in?" Alfred asked, seeing Hans set to the side and was allowed in. Maybe the older man was pretending to be kind, hoping to catch him off guard. Still, he wasn't sure what Fox's mental state was like. Three years was enough to change a person, but could someone with bloodthirsty and psychotic tendencies be redeemed?

Hans was surprised by the other man's manners, yet he still remained on guard. Whoever he was, he seemed to have an air to him. The way he was built, dressed, and acted seemed to call out the description of the 'ultimate gentleman'. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

"No thank you, I'm fine at the moment." Alfred said, showing a generous smile and politely declining the offer. Yet that smile faded when he became serious, but showed a soft look in his blue eyes. "I actually need to talk to you about something important. It's… rather serious."

Hans looked at him, biting his lower lip inwardly. If he had been found out all these years ago, he was prepared to face his judgment. "Let me guess… You know who I am, don't you?" He asked.

"Yes, but that's not why I am here." Alfred said, keeping his eyes on the fox zoanthrope.

"Oh, what is it then?"

Alfred took out some papers from his white coat, showing what appeared to be DNA tests. "When I looked at the blonde results of the woman you killed, she was your mother. But I also found some DNA from your 'other form'." He started to explain the details, knowing the shocker was coming. "Hans… I'm… your half-brother."

Hans stood there in complete surprise, and something in him felt a stirring old feeling. His right hand visibly shook, and that shaking became violent. So, the woman that abandoned him had another child? The urge to kill this brat was rather strong, and right now he was tempted. "So… the ugly old hag had another child?" He chuckled with bitterness.

Alfred saw the look in Hans' eyes, seeing the old persona of Fox coming to the surface. Seeing those sharp canine teeth, he stood his ground. "Hans, I've read about your file and the things you did…"

"So you did, huh? Did you know I revel in blood?!" Hans yelled as he asked Alfred, a vicious growl escaping as he fully transformed. It had been a long time since he transformed. Now being in his fox form, he looked at Alfred with a sadistic look in his eyes. Hans' mindset was shattered, and now replaced by the vicious persona of Fox.

Alfred watched Fox leap at him, completely taken off guard by the speed of his aggressor. Being pounced on, the frost haired agent needed to think of something. "That's not true... Just because our mother abandoned us, doesn't mean she didn't care. She saw the condition she was in and didn't want both of us to live in poverty. Maybe in her own way, she gave us a life she couldn't provide and we'd grow up to not repeat her mistakes."

Fox growled, leaning closer to Alfred. In the past, he had viewed all humans and zoanthropes to be ugly. He refused to accept his 'ugliness' and would show that he still retained his humanity by mocking his opponents through his sadistic mannerisms.

"Hans don't do this, this isn't you. That's the anger inside you taking over." Alfred said, his blue eyes still remaining on his half-brother. "I don't care about what you've done for Tylon. When they fell, I've searched three years for you, hoping maybe I could save you from yourself. I don't care if you're a vicious killer or zoanthrope … You're my brother, and I want to show you that I care by not abandoning you in your time of need."

Fox started to calm down, hearing those words carefully. He leaned back, giving Alfred some room to breathe. When he started to consider his words in his mind, they were interrupted with a scorpion-like tail hit Alfred hard. The blonde fox looked at where it came from, seeing Elsa in her zoanthrope form, looking like herself but with more 'insectoid' features.

Elsa didn't want Alfred to interfere with her mission. She knew MI: 6 were aware of her presence, and it was a good thing she found Fox. "Our boss will make sure you're treated like family Fox."

Alfred slowly regained his balance, groaning a bit and rubbed his head. When he looked at it, the sight of blood caught his attention. _'Blood…Oh no…'_ His hand started to shake, his breathe becoming shaky. It was happening again, letting out a loud scream. His teeth started to become sharp, mouth starting to expand, and the muscles in his body changing his form. Once the energy around him was released, he let out a loud roar and took on the form of a great white shark.

' _Scorpion and shark zoanthropes…Now I've seen everything.'_ Fox thought in his mind, usually used to the natural animal forms the soldiers took. Yet he never knew other species existed, but maybe they were artificially gene-spliced like Uriko's were-chimera form. Still, now that he knew his half-brother was a zoanthrope, at least they had common ground. Although the younger man had gained some inches and muscle density in his new form.

Alfred snarled at Elsa, viciously charging at her. Managing to catch her, he threw her out the window. The shark zoanthrope was not in control, going on predator instinct. Whenever the British agent saw the sight of blood, it caused him to go into a frenzy mode. All that mattered was taking down Elsa alive, and wanted to sink his teeth into his prey.

Elsa used her pinchers to dig into the other side of the building, slowly decreasing the pace she was moving down on. Then used her tail to wrap around a pipe, and landed gracefully on the ground. Seeing Alfred land in front of him, she merely smirked at the older man. She gestured for him to battle her, and side-stepped out of the way to dodge one of his punches. _'What's the manner amigo, too blind by your own feeding frenzy?'_

Fox looked at the damage being done, surprised that Elsa was a vicious fighter. Seeing her act like this gave him a sick feeling in his stomach. Was he wary of the young girl being like him? Still, his mind went back to his half-brother, and needed to calm him down. Last thing he wanted was someone being on Alfred's 'diet' for humans.

…

In the current location of the fight, a feminine figure was watching the battle from the rooftops. Jenny knew she was disobeying Gado's order, but she couldn't allow these people to ruin the lives of others. As much as she hated the scientists from the Tylon Corporation, she knew some of them had families.

Her attention was mostly focused on Elsa, narrowing her eyes dangerously at her. _'I hope the girl from the Night Brigade doesn't mind if I join in and play.'_ She thought in her mind, licking her lips. As she jumped off the roof, she made a swan dive at Elsa and morphed into a bat zoanthrope.

Elsa was busy toying with Alfred, her eyes focused on Fox coming to the location. However, she saw a shadow above her and looked upwards. Eyes widened in shock, barely dodging the diving kick. That was too close for comfort, but she narrowed her eyes dangerously at the new fighter that just entered the fray of battle.

Jenny just smirked, posing seductively and got into a stance. Her yellow eyes focused on Elsa, ready to make the first move. All her mind focused on was getting answers out of her, and protecting Alfred at the same time.

Elsa's mind was trying to figure why this stranger decided to pick a fight with her. Nonetheless, she wasn't about to be bested by someone she didn't know. _'Does she have a death wish or something?!'_

Jenny shrugged her shoulders, pretending to play ignorant. She couldn't talk in her beast form, but she sure retained her hoity and teasing mannerisms. Even though she took her job seriously, the bat zoanthrope loved toying with her opponents. It was something she was good, getting into people's heads and making them lose focus.

While the two were distracted, Alfred lunged over the female bat, landing in front of Elsa. Roaring at her with pure savagery, using his claws to try and slash her. However, Fox landed in front of him and blocked his next hit intended for Elsa. The beast side of Alfred was still in control, but a part of him was still trying to regain the 'driver's seat' in his mind and claim dominance. _'Come on Alfred, shake it off!'_ He scolded himself, calming down a bit.

"That's enough from two!" A voice spoke out, getting both Elsa and Fox's attention.

Fox looked to his side, his body tensing at the sight of the familiar blonde man with the hair spiked back and the notable scar on his left eye. _'Shit, of all the places to run into him!'_ The pretty ex-assassin of this stranger's reputation… It was Gado of all people. While Yugo may have beaten their secret weapon in the form of Uriko, he and along with several others took down Tylon. Gado was the one that the police detained to question him, but gave them the evidence he needed to take down Tylon. Even if he looked the same, he seemed to have bulked up his 6'4" frame. He wore a dark tan jacket with the sleeves rolled up, a black sleeveless shirt, green camouflage pants, brown combat boots, and black fingerless gloves.

The now 46 year old Gado gazed upon the group upon the two. His mind may have focused on Fox, but wondering why the Night Brigade would suddenly rescue him. He intended on stopping the vigilantes and preventing anymore blood being spilled from the people they killed.

Elsa didn't want to stay around any longer than she had to, so she used her tail to try and swept the two zoanthropes off their feet and changed back into a human. "Do you intend to stick around to fight or blow this joint?"

Fox clenched his fists, his blue eyes focused on what just happened. His routine had been broken for three years, and these people ruined in. No, he had ruined his own life. Even if Tylon granted him power, he was still that abandoned youth on the inside. He longed to get the same affection and compassion he saw other families have. That jealousy turned him into a vicious bloodlust psychopath. It was the night that he killed his mother that finally opened his eyes. Maybe if she had stuck around to take care of him, he wouldn't be such a broken person… Now his life was shattered, and all he could do was look at Elsa. However, maybe he could find out the Night Brigade's intentions and expose them for what they were. His eyes shifted to a fire hydrant, using his claws to swipe at the lid and use the large spray as a distraction.

Gado knew that was a dirty move on Fox's end, watching him and Elsa run off together like that. Still, he felt there was something different about the blonde fox zoanthrope and couldn't put his finger on it. His attention went back to Alfred and Jenny, who both reverted to their human forms.

The blonde model turned her gaze to Alfred, expressing one of her trademark smiles that came off as sensual. "Hope you don't mind if I joined the party." She said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Alfred was touched by the older woman's kindness. Smiling weakly, he shook his head. "I wasn't in control." He admitted, ashamed that he didn't have control over his beast form most of the time.

"Jenny, I thought I told you to go about your way." Gado said, walking over to the two. The ex-mercenary kept his gaze on her, knowing she was too valuable to him. He let a soft groan escape his lips, knowing if Alfred's 'episode' continued things would be messy. "Things could've gone south if both of us hadn't stepped in."

Alfred eyed the man, wondering who he was. To be able to command someone's attention, he certainly had the appearance and aura to intimidate someone. "Who exactly are you?"

"My name is Alan Gado. I'm the one that you will be working with on investigating on the Night Brigade's activities." Gado informed him, revealing that he was the one the young gentleman would be working with. Then his attention went to the blonde, his eyes focused on her. "As for you, I don't want you involved. There's a lot at risk if you put yourself in harm's way."

The blonde woman's eyes sparkled with mischief in them, knowing it was going to take a lot more than that to make her go away. "I would say yes, but Alfred was in danger and I wasn't about to let a fellow agent die on the line of his job." She said firmly, walking over to Gado. "Also I'm bored and need to be… amused."

Gado felt his cheeks turn a slight shade of pink, knowing his former flame didn't learn to take the word 'no' seriously. He knew once Jenny's mind was set, there was no stopping her. "Fine, you can come." He gave in and took a deep breathe. Knowing some of his former zoanthropes-in-arms had laid low or retired from fighting, he would need all the help he could get. It was the only way to stop the Night Brigade from taking anymore lives.

…

I decided to cut this chapter short, since I plan on introducing some major elements for chapter 3. I decided to make 'short story arcs' that connect with each other. So chapter 3 will serve as a conclusion to the first arc, and to help set the pieces in place. Also I will continue to flesh out the new characters, and try to explain everything bit by bit so I don't rush the story. Plus I wanted to flesh out Fox's character a bit, hoping to make him appealing and not come off as a vicious pretty boy. ^^;; Also I want to thank IndigoSiren for reviewing the first chapter!


	3. Chapter 3: Pieces in Place

**Chapter 3**

 **Pieces in Place**

In the city of New York within the area of Bleekcer Street, two operatives from the Night Brigade were in the pizzeria of Bleecker Street Pizza. One of them was tapping on the counter, looking at the various pizzas. The other was a tall, large, and pretty stoic man who shook his head. His younger partner was a bit too laid-back.

"How can you eat that stuff Clint?" The large man asked, looking at his silver-haired companion.

"You're just jealous Maarku." Clint spoke, the younger operative giving the Hawaiian man a sideways glance. He knew the older man had the mindset of a soldier. That, and he wasn't fond of being around humans. "Besides, you know I need to recharge after every task we do."

"Okay, that's two large pies. One pepperoni and cheese pizza to go… That'll be forty dollars." The cashier spoke, making sure she had the order right.

Maarku's expression faltered, shocked at the price for two large pizzas. "You ordered two large pizzas for forty dollars?!" He raised his voice, almost like he was going to have a heart attack

Clint rolled his eyes, knowing his partner could be overly dramatic with small things sometimes. "Geez, have a heart attack why don't you?" He said, smirking a bit. Think the mental image would be funny, and satisfying from his end. Taking out his wallet, he took out two twenties and gave them to the cashier. "Here you go sweetheart, forty bucks." He said, taking out another twenty and his card he gave to her as well. "Extra's for the excellent service from you, and if you want to meet up after your shift…" His voice stopped, looking at her with his charming eyes.

The cashier blushed hard, running a hand through her brown hair. "S-sure, let me grab a pen." She said, seeing Clint take off his glove and offered it to her. Carefully writing on it, she gave him her digits and address. "See you around Mister…"

"Marcus. Clint Marcus, but you may call me Clint." Clint said, winking at her playfully.

"My name is Cathy… Will you call me? My shift ends at five." She asked, hoping he would say yes.

"Of course, I'll pick you up at seven thirty." Clint reassured her with a generous smile. As he lifts the two boxes off the counter, his smile turned into an angry frown as he shifted his gaze away from the cashier. _'Mr. Marcus is my father, one that I happily put out of his misery and bury him in the ground.'_ He thought darkly in his mind, but that shifted into an evil smirk. Looking at Maarku, he let out a frustrated sigh when he gave him that look. "Let me guess, you're going to tell me I shouldn't pick up girls. It'll interfere with 'the mission'" He said, emphasizing the last two words by mimicking Maarku in an exaggerated tone.

"You got some nerve interacting with humans, especially that woman." Maarku spoke as they both walked outside. Just when they did, he felt his hard tan skin being brushed. Looking to the side, he seemed to recognize the woman with spiky blonde hair.

The woman with side hair was a seventeen-year-old teen woman, her blue eyes meeting with the copper eyes of the large man. "… Sorry about that." She apologized, noticing she was hesitant to speak earlier.

"It's… okay." Maarku said, studying her features. A smirk formed on his stoic faces. "Enjoy your day."

"Shina, you okay?

The woman studied the man, and then heard her name announced. Seeing the look of confusion on the older male's face, she showed a calm smile. "Yeah, I was thinking about what to have for lunch." She replied sheepishly, reassuring that she was okay.

Maarku watched what he presumed to be a couple walk into that pizzeria. His smirk just widened in satisfaction. "Clint, let's move."

Clint wondered why his partner was suddenly uncharacteristically eyeing someone with a smirk. The only time he did that was when he had his mind on something, and he was looking to give someone a thrashing. "Isn't she a little young for you?"

Maarku heard his co-operative's comment, blinking and groaning at his idiocy. "No you idiot… I'll explain in private."

Back at the pizzeria, Shina and Jet were sitting outside after they ordered their food. The white-haired male was going on about how good the pizza here on Bleecker Street was good. Her mind was elsewhere, but she listened to him talking. "You want me to what now?" She asked again.

"Just have a slice of my pizza." Jet clarified, offering her a slice. "I'm telling you your mouth will be in heaven because of the taste."

Shina's light blue eyes looked at the cheese pizza. Well, he was trying to get her open up to new things, and food was on the list. Leaning forward, she took a large bite. Feeling the heat from the pizza, she swallowed it quickly and grabbed her water.

Jet looked at the situation from across the table, about to offer her his drink but saw she got it covered. The older man looked at her concern. "Geez, jump in without thinking much?" He said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Shina's mind was mostly on getting her mouth back to a normal temperature. "I think I know why dad always told me to think first, and not act out on impulse." She breathed, and caught her breathe. "That's the last time I have a slice… It wasn't bad, it's a lot of sauce in it but the flavor is good."

Jet let out a chuckle, hearing about Shina's old man being mentioned. Yet he knew that the blonde seventeen-year-old was being honest. "Well, I am glad that didn't put a dapper on your first try."

…

In an undisclosed location of New York, Maarku and Clint were already in their respective attires for their operation. Clint was decked out in a dark blue jumpsuit, covering his body head to toe of his 6'1" frame except his silver hair. Along with that outfit, the bottom length of his 'coat' stopped to his ankles, black strap and armor around the shoulders, wrists, knees, and ankles. Along with that was a black visor with eight green lenses around his forehead.

Maarku kept his form of attire simple with a dark green vest with the Night Brigade's insignia on the back, a maroon t-shirt, baggy mustard colored cargo pants, and matching brown fingerless gloves and foots. The scars on his face made him look intimidating, gazing at the wall.

The black haired man heard Clint eat away at the one of the pizzas, his eye twitching. "Are you almost finished?"

"Yes I am!" Clint answered as he licked his fingers, and let out a satisfied sigh. His lavender eyes moved to Maarku's now serious expression. "So, about you 'smiling' at that girl earlier… You got the hots for her?" He teased with a mischievous smirk on his face.

Maarku looked at the expression, gritting his teeth and covered his eyes with his hand. He knew the covered-assassin's mind was in the gutter. "No you idiot!" He snapped, taking a deep breathe and calmed down. "I recognize her from my days as a soldier."

Clint blinked, remembering he and Maarku usually read dossiers of every zoanthrope, especially each other. He read some history of Maarku's days as a soldier, but didn't ask who was in his unit. Now here he was, hearing his co-operative confine into him of this piece of history. "So she's what, someone you knew as a victim?"

"Yes, but the village she lived in was burnt to the ground." Maarku began to explain, his copper eyes still focused on the wall.

His mind was going back to a time before he became a zoanthrope. In his younger days, the muscular 6'6" soldier was a feared man on the field. It was towards his enemies, but he enjoyed the rush of fighting side by side with his brothers-in-arms. The unit he worked with found and saved from survivors in that village. One of his comrades' adopted the blonde youth. She was a mystery that one, but she was able to learn and adapt for someone so young.

"Her real name is Jane. Not much was known about her, except the village she lived in. She was adopted by one of the soldiers." He began to explain. Remembering who it was that adopted her. "As years went by, she made it across the field of battle to see her foster parent. The man I worked with was he most feared, but the soldiers broke into laughter." He let out chuckle, shaking his head in amusement. "As time passed, she fought in the war in our unit. She was called the 'Fighting Marvel' out there, and earned that name after obliterating an entire platoon at age thirteen."

Clint whistled at the skills that this Jeanne had. Now this was a woman he could get behind, maybe in more ways than one. "Sounds like this 'Marvel' woman is quite the femme fatale."

Maarku reluctantly nodded his head, his gaze shifting back onto Clint. "She's also got another name she goes by, and that's Shina." He said, leaning back a bit against his chair.

"So this 'Shina', how do you know her so well?" Clint asked, leaning into his hair and crossed his legs. He was never interested in hearing or being around Maarku but he never saw him be this open. Also the details of war did interest him, but mostly for sadistic purposes.

"I know her through a former comrade-in-arms of mine… Alan Gado." Maarku said, seeing Clint fall from his chair at the sudden mention of Gado's name. The Hawaiian man stood up, walking over to the other side of the table.

Clint grunted in pain, slowly standing up and looked at Maarku with surprise. "No fuckin' way! Gado, as in the same guy with that rebel group, and took down Tylon?! And he's got a daughter! We have to share this with the boss."

"This is all news to little ol' me!" A familiar annoying voice spoke up, walking from the shadows of the other room. His slanted eyes looked at both of the operatives, hands interlacing together and his fingers touched.

Clint groaned at the sight of Busuzima, knowing the chameleon zoanthrope annoyed him. "Busuzima, what brings you here?"

"I was in the area, and thought I'd check in on my favorite peeps." Busuzima gave a wink at the silver-haired operative, trying to be 'hip' and 'cool' with the group.

Maarku just shivered on the inside, having to put up the loud-mouthed scientist. Yet he had this sneaky feeling he was up to no good. "Anyway, what do you want?"

"I wanted to ask a favor from the two of you." Busuzima said as his grin widened. "That woman you mentioned, Shina… She's with a man named Jet Raxton."

Maarku walked over to the scientist. Picking him up, he made eye contact with the thirty-three year old man and studied him. _'That lizard is up to something. The question is what is it?'_ He wondered in his mind, but looked at Busuzima. "What do you require?" He asked, knowing the green-haired scientist had wanted something in specific.

"I want a sample of Jet's DNA." Busuzima explained, giving Maarku a simple mission. Not wanting to get on Slade's bad side again, he figured using the Night Brigade operatives to do small time 'favors' for him wouldn't raise suspicion for now. "You will also need this as well."

Busuzima took out a small gun with a needle and beaker attached to the gun. Maarku nod in understanding and took the gun, he watched the older soldier leave the room. "As for you Clint, there's an old friend of mine… I just want you to send him a message. Don't kill him, but I found his whereabouts and I'd like you to rough him up a bit."

Clint liked where this was going, listening on the details. Oh, this was going to be a fun assignment indeed. Even if he wouldn't be able to kill this person, this 'Stephen Goldberg' was going to know the meaning of pain.

Maarku stood on the other side of the room, hoping he could hear some extra details from Busuzima. Grunting inwardly, he opened the door and closed it in a hard way. _'Damn that lizard… Something about him gives me a bad feeling. I know Slade selected him as one of his best scientists, but those eyes… I know he has something up his sleeve, and he's not loyal to anyone but himself.'_ He thought in his mind, his hand touching the scars on his arms. The numerous scars on his face and body were from a fight long ago. While he didn't have the strength his former friend had, the Hawaiian soldier left a mark that would be physically permanent. _'However, if Jet is there, that means Shina is with him. I may not like the idea of fighting his daughter if I have to… I will send a message to him.'_ He smirked as the idea of settling the score with his old friend was put to a close.

"If capturing Yuji brought Gado to the Tylon Corporation… I think harming his daughter will get the same result." While he did want to settle an old battle, the idea of murdering his daughter right in front of his eyes would break the lion zoanthrope.

…

Within the confines of the Night Brigade's headquarters, Slade was doing his usual tasks of inventory. The grunts did the trivial tasks, but with the things have been lately Slade wanted to be extra careful. There have been rumors that Busuzima had been taking some chemicals and explosives from under the groups' noses. He started to question the chameleon zoanthrope's loyalty.

As the Night Brigade's leader, it was Slade's responsibility everyone followed their leader's orders. The blonde looked at the list, double checking one last time. _'There are some things missing.'_

Leaving the storage room, the twenty-one year old man walked down the hallways. He made his way to his leader. "Mr. Tylon… There are chemicals and explosives missing within the storage."

The man that had been confined to the shadows of his work still remained silent. However, when he heard Slade speak, he merely chuckled. "Is that so?" He said, standing up from his work station.

Slade watched his benefactor stand up, seeing him walk to the light and reveal himself. "What do you want me to do about it?"

The man looked at Slade, the young leader of the Night Brigade awaiting his orders. "Let Busuzima run whatever it is he's doing. It doesn't matter what his goals are, as long as he doesn't interfere with my agenda on Gado." The dark-skinned man answered.

The silver-eyed operative nodded his head firmly, knowing the African-American's spoke the truth. He regretted having to owe the former CEO of the Tylon Corporation. When his parents were in a car accident, he inherited the company at age eighteen, and the company was going into bankruptcy. His company was bought out by the Tylon Corporation, and Obadiah got Slade's company Atlas International out of debt. It was something Slade regretted, and put his dream to go to college aside to focus on the company.

When word that the Tylon Corporation were abducting people, experimenting and looking to turn them into beast soldiers, the multinational company was brought to it's knees. All of it's scientists, businessmen, and everyone involved either escaped, killed, or in jail. Yet Slade knew that Obadiah was alive, and when the man approached him it was a hostile confrontation. With his name tarnished, he wanted a second chance and persuaded Slade that he wanted to start anew: Create a group to help take down his former colleagues. The Night Brigade was created by both Obadiah and Slade, with young avian zoanthrope as the front man and Obadiah privately funding the group.

Slade's obsession for justice could not be diverted out of his head. However, Obadiah knew the blonde falcon had a knack for dishing out pain on criminals. It was out of anger that Slade took his rage out on the scum of the underworld. If killing the people who experimented on zoanthropes had to die by his hands it was good enough for him.

" _Boss, I brought someone back that you might recognize."_ Elsa's voice spoke over Slade's ear piece.

The businessman/scientist let a smirk curve onto his dark lips, wondering who this person could be. "Seems like Elsa works rather quickly." He said in a casual tone, and let out a small chuckle. "I like that kid, the way you look at her… It almost makes me think you have feelings for her." Obadiah teased the blonde man.

"Elsa is someone I care about, yes, but my feelings for her remain platonic at best." Slade said. The Afro-Brazilian woman was an independent rebel at best, and did not want anyone's charity. At best, he was able to form a sibling-like bond with her.

Obadiah took off his lab coat, putting it on the rack. For a man of both science and business, the former CEO still continued to dress at his best. He wore a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up, slacks in a cross between dark-gray and black, and black shoes. He was also rather tall and physically fit, being in league with Gado and Maarku, and stood around 6'4"

"Now, go greet your humble guest." The large man said, watching Slade leave the room. Being confined to being in a room all day could be mind numbing for the weak-willed. Obadiah Tylon was not weak, but he certainly did not like anyone interfering with his plans. His obsession with Gado would cloud his mind, but he used his intellect to carefully craft a plan to lure the lion zoanthrope out.

…

Fox and Elsa stood in the hallway, waiting for the leader and boss. The blonde fox zoanthrope had fitted himself with his old attire: A pink leather bra, very short blue jeans, pink arm sleeves, purple leather leggings with straps and knee pads, and black leather boots. If this was someone he was familiar with, he needed to know that 'Fox' was back in business and not the man known as Hans Taubemann.

Elsa looked at Fox, seeing the quiet nature of the former assassin. "Is everything okay?"

Hearing his train of thought be broken, he looked at Elsa and gazed into her emerald green eyes. Normally he wasn't the silent type. Back when he was the ruthless killer, he always held his head up high like he was royalty, and a confident smirk. Now all he could think about was who was controlling the Night Brigade, and what their endgame was. _'I can't let this girl know my uncharacteristic trait of being quiet…It'll send red flags and last thing I need is to lose my advantage.'_

Reaching out, his fingers touch the dark skin of the eighteen-year-old woman. He used his touch to expertly caress her soft flesh, working his old charm on her. "I'm okay sweetie." He said seductively, using a charming smile to go along with it. "What about you, are you okay?" He added. _'I have to admit, the kid has been looking at me a lot…Obviously she isn't ruthless like me, I can see it in her eyes. If I can somehow convince her to leave this life style, she won't have to go through the same experience like I did'_ He thought to himself.

Elsa felt her face heat up, her cheeks burning. "Y-yes, I'm okay." She answered, her voice stuttering. Normally she was hard-as-nails around her co-operatives, but she was a very soft-hearted and kind woman. With Fox's touch and that alluring smile, she felt herself melt and turn to putty on the inside.

Out of impulse, she stood on her toes and pressed her lips into Fox's. Ever since she was given this assignment, Elsa thought it would be a piece of cake. Now here she was, the Night Brigade's deadly femme fatale, having a crush on Tylon's former pretty boy assassin and kissing him. She didn't care if she got caught, but whoever would break up the moment would suffer a poisonous sting.

Fox was surprised by the sudden action. Obviously he must've done something right to gain her attention. Straightening himself against the wall, he wrapped his arms around her curved petite physique. When he started his 'new life', looking for a relationship was not in his priorities. The idea of being with someone, let alone be intimate and pursue someone romantically, hadn't crossed his mind. Yet this young woman certainly showed an interest in him. It was certainly a physical attraction between the two, and Fox had to admit she was cute and sexy, and obviously Elsa was not the type to look for a fight to prove her superiority.

' _Damn, I promised myself I wouldn't get involved in anything…But the world and this girl shouldn't suffer'_ He thought, logic slowly creeping back into his mind. Having to break away from the kiss, he continued to hold the young girl. "Listen, Elsa… There's something you should know…"

"Yes…" Elsa said, looking into Fox's eyes, wondering what he wanted to say.

There moment was interrupted, hearing two double doors slide open. Elsa quickly pulled away, straightening herself out. If Slade had seen her kissing Fox, he'd certainly question if she was alright.

Slade had entered the hallway, seeing like the two had a naughty secret. The blonde man's d silver eyes landed on Fox, already recognizing one of Obadiah's most top-ranked assassins and smirked. "Elsa, I didn't know you brought a former Tylon assassin."

"Well, I figured he'd deserve a chance to get back at those who wronged him." Elsa said, knowing it was a very weak excuse.

Fox's blue eyes turned to Slade, hearing that there was a 'boss' of the Night Brigade. He guessed that this was the leader of this group. "Elsa told me there was a 'boss' in this group, I didn't expect a pretty boy like you to be in charge."

Slade's silver eyes had already narrowed at Fox, dangerously glaring daggers at the crafty zoanthrope. "Yes, my name is Slade. I'm in charge of the Night Brigade." He had heard of him by reputation, and it was people like him that made him sick. There were so many different ideas running through his head, and he already sensed that Elsa's scent was on him. Whatever he did, he would not let this narcissistic psychopath ruin his plans. "I've heard of you by reputation, but to meet you in person is… Honorable." He said in a bitter icy tone.

Fox looked at Slade, seeing the way he was glaring death at him. He kept his own composure, but obviously he was getting the feeling of not being welcomed into the Night Brigade.

"We ran into some trouble in England." Elsa informed Slade, thinking he deserved to know. "There were three people that gave me a lot of trouble to get Fox here."

Slade inwardly frowned, knowing he and the Night Brigade were screwed if they knew the location of their base. Thankfully Elsa was able to escape with Fox, and not have their headquarters be found. "Were there any people you recognized?"

Elsa was about to answer, but Fox suddenly cut her off. "There's a man named Alan Gado that was in the location. He's known to have taken down the Tylon Corporation, and isn't someone to take lightly." The British fox said, seeing Slade change his body language and inwardly smirk. It looked like the leader was about to lose his cool.

Slade took a deep breathe, knowing that Obadiah would not be happy about this. If he had found out Gado was around, his whole operation would be blown up in their faces. "It's okay… As long as they don't know where we are, we're all good."

"I need to go check up on the new recruits' training. I'll leave you two alone." Elsa said, turning around and started to wonder if it was a good idea to leave Fox alone with Slade. Her leader had a reputation with being violent towards anyone with a shady background. _'I hope he isn't too harsh with Fox. He seems kind, and I'm sure if they got to know each other things might go smoothly in time'_ She reasoned with herself.

Watching Elsa leave the room, Fox felt Slade still had his eyes on him. The fact that he was aiming at the Tylon Corporation's people had him on the edge. "So you're the Night Brigade's head honcho, huh? What's your deal?"

Slade sprinted, stopping in front of Fox with deathly fast speed. His silver eyes met with the blue ones, keeping a serious and calm expression on his face. "I'm not an assassin like you." He said in a stern tone, meeting Fox face to face. "Within the Night Brigade, we work as a unit and I give the tasks assigned to my team."

Fox raised an eyebrow, letting his usual devious smirk show. He wanted to see if he could rattle the new kid's cage a bit. Mostly for kicks, but to keep his former old mask up as a guard. "Does that mean I got to do whatever you say?" He asked in a pretend mock tone.

Slade retaliated by showing his strength, demonstrating as his fist flew past Fox in a quick sharp motion. He damaged one of the machines, slicing it to multiple pieces with just his hand.

Fox had a shocked expression on his face, turning around and looked at the damage. All of those sliced pieces where carefully cut with calculated precision. His blue eyes went back to Slade, seeing the same deathly calm expression on his face.

"Do not take that tone with me." Slade said, making it clear that he didn't tolerate Fox's attitude. "You may have been the Tylon Corporation's top-ranked assassin, but this is the Night Brigade. I should kill you for what you represent: the same criminal scum who treat others like humans and zoanthropes that they're beneath them. However, Elsa seems to… favor you, and that you bring something to the group. But I warn you, if you allow your obsession with beauty and thrill of blood, and even harm one hair on Elsa… I will end you. End you for the ugly thing that you are on the inside. And I mean for the behavior that you represent."

Once the verbal threat was over, Slade walked past Fox. Hearing those words hit Fox really hard, as he leaned against the wall. _'My god, that kid could've killed me…I kind of deserved that, but I've been given a second chance. It's obvious he does care about the well being of others…However that anger of his will be his downfall, and I can relate to that anger. If I could find a way to convince Elsa to jump ship, Slade will be at a disadvantage.'_ He calculated a plan in his mind, but he needed to think about the steps. Well, there was no time like the present.

Once Slade was out of Fox's hearing range, his finger touched the ear piece that he wore around his ear. "Mr. Tylon, we have a problem."

" _What is it Slade? I'm busy at the moment, and I expect you to handle it."_

"Elsa told me she had interference in recruiting Fox." Slade spoke up, giving Obadiah the details of what happened in the events of Elsa's task. "There were two people that battled Elsa and Fox, and then another person showed up. Fox told me the man's name was Alan Gado, and told me what happened to your company. If he investigates the Night Brigade's activities in New York, it could spell trouble. Let me take care of it, and I'll throw Gado off our tracks."

" _No, let him and his 'zoanthrope brethren' look for us."_

Slade's silver eyes widened at the suggestion, feeling the urge to give his boss a second opinion. "But there's too much at stake! We need to solve this problem now!"

" _Don't take that tone with me Slade! You will do as I say, or I will personally see to it that the people you care about meet an unfortunate death."_

Knowing he couldn't defy Obadiah's order, he sighed in defeat. "Yes Mr. Tylon, I'll make sure your demand is carried through." He said, turning off his ear piece. Letting out a frustrated growl, he clenched his fist and slammed it hard into the wall. He pressed his back against the wall, letting out a shaky breathe. The man had a hold on him he couldn't escape, and if he stood up to his boss again it would mean Jet would meet a grizzly death by Obadiah himself.

…

Jet and Shina started to take a stroll back to Jet's apartment, one that he shared with Tony in New York City. He had attended school in the city, but traveled by plane to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to visit his parents whenever he was on break. Having to keep his underground life a secret from them, it tore him apart. Yet with the money he earned, it was enough to send some to his parents and put himself through school.

"I have to admit, I actually had fun today." Shina said, feeling relaxed and not having to think about her own inner demons. Most of those said 'demons' were the voice of her old man not wanting her to join the field of being a mercenary.

"Well now, that's a first." Jet joked, earning himself a mock 'glare' from Shina. "And once again, your glares do not scare me."

Shina rolled her eyes, but a small smirk crossed her lips. "You know, my father's glares are far scarier than mine." She said, earning Jet to freezing in his tracks. Watching him shudder like that, the spiky blonde teenager inwardly chuckled. It felt no matter where anyone was, those that knew Gado would feel his presence, even if it was miles and miles away.

"Don't say that! Now I feel like he's spying on me." Jet said, walking inside the building with Shina. They walked the flight of stairs, reaching the fourth floor and stopped in front of the door. "But there is something I wanted to ask you?"

"You want to ask me out again?" Shina asked, hands on her hips and smirked at the white-blue streaked haired motorcyclist. She and Jet have gone steady for two years, and the two got along. They had a few arguments, mostly whenever Shina was stubborn or when Jet was doing his stupid stunts that could get him killed. However, it was his fighting stunts that could land him in a heap of trouble.

"Shina… I want you us to be official." He declared, holding both of her hands into his own. The taller muscled nineteen-year-old met with the light blue eyes of Shina's, trying to read her face.

Shina was caught by surprise. Never had she let her emotional barriers down, but being around Jet… He made her feel happy. He did not object to her attitude, her stubbornness (except for a few couple squabbles which was done out of comic relief), and her goals in life. He accepted her for who she was, but wondered if he should be let in on her secret. Well, two secrets in fact. "Let's talk about this inside."

Jet nodded his head, taking out his keys. As he inserted them in, he noticed the door was already open. Did Tony forget to lock the door? No, it must've meant someone was in his apartment. "Shina, we may have a thief in the midst."

Shina looked at Jet, but then sensed that someone was in his apartment. She did not need her zoanthrope side to tell her that an intruder was there. Bringing her fist to her hand, she cracked her knuckles and pushed the door open. Upon gazing at the familiar man, her light blue eyes locked onto him. "I thought I recognized you."

Maarku sat on the chair, smirking at Shina. "Took you long enough Jane, or do you prefer Shina?" He asked, standing on his two feet. "It doesn't matter, I'm not after you. I want Jet's DNA."

Jet walked in, hearing his name be mentioned and looked at the intruder of his apartment. Seeing the way Shina was looking at him, it was obvious that he was bad news. "You said you wanted my DNA, right?" Jet asked, walking around Shina and brought his hand out. "Just give me the needle and I'll give you a sample of my blood."

Maarku and Shina looked at him with surprise, seeing Jet comply so quickly with the demand. "What? You'd give me your DNA just like that?"

"Jet, don't give him your blood." Shina said, her words focused on her companion and her gaze still fixed on Maarku. "You don't know what this guy is capable of… He and my father fought side by side, until he betrayed us all."

"Your father was weak, I joined a better cause." Maarku said, briefly clenching his fists and glared at Jet. Seeing a reaction from Jet, clearly he made the nineteen-year old male angry.

"Shina's dad is not a traitor to anything!" Jet said, taking in his own fighting stance. He had taken karate when he was four years old, and had earned a second-degree in black belt. It wasn't enough to handle an experienced soldier like Maarku, but he would defend Shina at all costs.

Shina's eyes were on Jet with complete surprise. He was going up against Maarku, one of her father's old war buddies. "Are you crazy?! You can't take him on!"

Jet showed a weak smile, nodding his head in defeat. "Mom and dad always said I was stubborn, but seeing how this guy is somehow apart of your dad's group, he doesn't deserve to call himself a soldier."

"That is an interesting way of putting it." Maarku said, reaching into his vest and pulled out his army knife.

Shina recognized that army knife, the same one that Maarku used to take away her father's left eye. Even though her father had saved her, leaving some many scars on the Hawaiian soldier's body and face as a lion zoanthrope… Maarku was able to get in a shot and used his knife on him. "Are you afraid to fight us both on hand to hand?"

Maarku let a grin play across his stoic features, but suddenly growled and clenched his teeth. His body started to be covered in energy, the proportions starting to shift in shape. As his skin darkened, he let out a roar and transformed. Taking a deep breathe, he left both Shina and Jet in his new form.

Jet watched Maarku transform into his zoanthrope form, deciding that he would not let Shina or anyone else in this building suffer for his mistakes. He knew there wasn't room for him to transform as well, so he needed to take this fight man to zoanthrope.

Shina grit her teeth and got into her own stance, seeing the new form the ex-soldier had taken. If Maarku was working for someone, she wondered why Jet's DNA would be important to his cause. _'Man, I really wish the old man was here.'_

…

I will be concluding the first arc of this story. There will be tons of character interaction, action scenes, and development for both the plot and characters. I needed to get all of the characters I am working on into place, and you finally get to see the main villain aka Obadiah Tylon. My original characters will be fleshed out in each chapter, bit by bit, so that everyone can get an idea of how they interact. Also let's hope Jet's apartment stays intact and survives in the next chapter. XD


	4. Chapter 4: Necessary Actions

**Chapter 4**

 **Necessary Actions**

Jet kept his eyes on Maarku, taking a stand against the orca zoanthrope. Seeing the sight of the older man made him wonder how he knew Shina. Probably when this fight was over, he could get some answers from the young woman. Still, he wouldn't allow Maarku to harm her in anyway.

' _Hold on, we're inside my apartment!'_ He thought, his eyes widened in sudden realization and held his hands up. "Stop!"

Maarku's legs accidently crossed together, being caught off guard by Jet's body language. The Hawaiian soldier landed face first into the floor, losing his zoanthrope form and back to being human.

Shina looked at the action of the older male, and groaned in response. "Seriously Jet, you're worried about your place instead of your life?!" She snapped at him, astonished that he was in a life and death situation. In her mind, she wondered how she could put up with him… Then again, she had to remember Jet was a guy who liked to keep things intact.

Jet cringed at her snapping at him, shrugging his shoulders innocently. "Shina, it's my first apartment." He said, looking at her with his blue eyes. "I've had it for a year… Plus how can I explain to my landlord how a giant T-Rex and orca zoanthropes were fighting here? Not to mention the costs to fix the building."

Groaning out loud, Maarku looked at Jet and Shina with annoyed look on his face. "You know, for someone who's more concerned with people and property damages, you are an oddball of an assignment… However, I'm willing to comply but don't go weaseling out of this fight." He said in a deathly serious tone, putting the army knife away in his vest.

"He's not chickening out of a fight." Shina reassured Maarku, looking at the older man. She had a strong urge to pummel him, wanting to beat him for betraying her father's unit and friends… For what Maarku thought was right him, for some hollow and meaningless goal.

"For someone allowing him to fight, I'm curious why you don't join in." Maarku said, seeing the still calm expression on her face. "After all, you are holding a secret from him? I can feel it in you."

Jet looked at Maarku, raising an eyebrow at him. "I think we already played the 'memory lane' scene already. How about we just wrapped this up, and get this done?"

Maarku sneered, growling a bit at Jet and his attention was back on him. "Fine by me, I can take you on in my human form anyway!" He said, charging at the white-haired motorcyclist.

Shina quickly went for the door, opening and watched Jet side-step Maarku and trip him. The large soldier flew across the room and out the door, crashing into the railing outside and fell down a long flight of steps. Plus she could hear some cartoony-like sound effects thrown in along with the curse words the man spoke. "Let's hope he doesn't need a hospital."

…

Clint swung through the city, shooting out thin-wires from the metal ornaments around his wrists. He started to regret this; not ripping off the movements from some spider dude from a comic book. No, it was the assignment he was given. Sure, he'd revel in causing death but he had a hot date tonight.

Eyes widened behind his covered face, he wondered where this thought occurred. _'Hold on, since when did I develop a caring side?'_ He wondered in his head. Using that time to jump onto the area of the abandoned building, he lifted up the goggles and pulled down his mask. Taking a good look at his own reflection, the silver-haired man looked at his face.

Having grown up in an abusive family, his father was an abusive drunk. The only person that showed him compassion was his mother, but she died after graduating high school. In response to the death, he killed the old man. After that, he went to sign up for the police academy. His application was rejected and got kicked out, due to being mentally unstable and showed signs of being a sociopath. In response, he killed the people that kicked him out and was put in jail.

Some multinational called Tylon offered him power, in exchange for his services. Being forced to work with Maarku, he was kept on a tight leash so that he wouldn't overdo his 'killing spree' and be caught up in the moment. Over the years, Clint stayed as a low-level grunt, something he came to despise.

He poured his heart and soul into his work, killing anyone who had cold feet within the company that wanted to back out. Clint never gave up, and it was that yearning that made him stronger. When the company fell apart, he instantly went into hiding. Going back to America, he laid low in New York City, his original birthplace. Then he met the man named Slade, who saw Clint's skill-set in stealth, assassination, and espionage intrigued him. Hearing that he was starting a vigilante group, Clint jumped at the opportunity. Being given artificial gene-splicing, Clint was now a zoanthrope. Within the new group he was in, Clint was now one of the top-ranked operatives in the Night Brigade.

The only drawback was being partnered with Maarku again. He was a complete stiff, being a complete stickler for the rules. Now Clint had his fair share of hatred to humans, but never at the females. Maybe in his subconscious, he remembered the compassion his mother showed him and took it on males that represented his old man.

' _Oh joy, my assignment is nothing but a coward.'_ Clint growled in frustration, pulling his mask back up and had his visor cover his eyes. It was game time and he opened one of the windows from the ruff. Sliding through the opening, he landed on his feet and looked around the shadowy areas. "Alright Goldberg, how about you make this nice and easy by show yourself."

Having looked around, he saw something stand up and looked pretty damn big. Seeing the blue insectoid-like man show himself, he watched the large figure make eye contact with him. Clint looked at the large 'bug-man' with disgust, wanting to either vomit or run for the hills. Yet for something that was a man-made zoanthrope, he wondered how Busuzima did it. He shoved that thought aside, putting on his game face. "Look in the mirror much?"

Stun growled in annoyance, his yellow eyes glaring death at Clint. This young man had a lot of nerve for not knowing he was getting into. Seeing the insignia on his belt, he wondered what group he was apart of? He had rumors about some group of vigilante zoanthropes, mostly when he had to go out and rummage for food in the alleyways. "You…. Have some brass if you… Think you can take me down." He said and his voice mostly hissing and scratchy.

"I'm just here on business." Clint said, cracking his knuckles. Bravado was not going to save him. If Busuzima wanted him to rough up this Steven Goldberg, or Stun, whatever he went by, he had better make it quick. "But you better be worth it bug man."

…

Outside of the abandoned pier, the same ones that were held for the underworld activities that Jet did, was the stage for the nineteen-year-old T-Rex zoanthrope and Maarku. The two were able to agree of not getting any innocent people involved, and both were stubborn to the end. Shina acted as a 'neutral party', making sure that the two stuck with the agreement. She knew Jet would keep his promise, but the blonde teenager didn't want any funny business from the orca zoanthrope.

Maarku looked at Jet, dead set on getting a blood or skin sample for Busuzima. The fact that the green-haired scientist wanted this kid's DNA was beyond him. He once again pushed any thoughts he had aside and focused on the fight. "Come at me kid."

Jet watched Maarku motion his hand to come at him. His body stiffened a bit, but he got into a stance. He charged at the large man, but immediately jumped into the air. Landing on his feet, he used his leg to sweep his opponent off his feet.

The Hawaiian man grunted hard, landing on his back. The fall being stopped by concrete would've hurt a regular non-athletic person. However, Maarku was largely built and the concrete cracked in some areas. Grabbing the leg, he swung Jet into a pile of barrels. _'That should buy me enough time.'_ He thought in his mind, needing a plan to grab a sample.

Shina was very tempted to step in, but watching the fight made her uneasy. Wanting the fight to be hers, she wanted to show the traitorous soldier that she wasn't the same girl that he kidnapped. Her icy blue eyes focused on Jet slowly getting back up, smirking a bit. That smirk faded when she watched Maarku walk over to his direction.

Jet regained his senses, turning his head and glared at Maarku. He didn't care about the throw, but the strength the man displayed as a human made him cautious. It was probably the enhancements the scientists gave him to hold his ground. Picking up one of the barrels, he started throwing them at his aggressor's direction. With some luck, he could come up with a plan and use the barrels as a distraction.

"Resorting to throwing stuff? That's pretty cowardly of you." Maarku called out, moving his arm to his chest and swung it out. It hit his fist, sending it flying to the side. He decided to maneuver as well, figuring mixing things up would throw off his young opponent's aim. Watching Jet jump up into the air, he was hit by the wooden barrel. Thinking it was empty, he made a face with disgust.

Jet resisted the urge to laugh, seeing the outdated vinegar oil all over Maarku's body. He ran towards his opponent again, this time hitting him with two barrels of smelly and slippery oil.

Maarku growled in annoyance, turning around and lunged at Jet. Grabbing a hold of the nineteen-year old male, he punched him hard in the face. "You think I'm funny?! Let's see how funny this is!" He yelled, taking out his army knife and shoved it into Jet's shoulder.

Jet yelled in pain, head-butting the muscle bound Hawaiian off of him. Stumbling a bit, he clutched his shoulder and got on one knee. If he took out the knife, the amount of blood coming out would weaken him.

Shina saw the way Jet was in pain, rushing into the fight. ' _Screw this!'_ she thought in her mind, as she wasn't about to let the white-haired man die on her. Getting near Maarku, who was close to Jet, punched him in the rib cage. Seeing him yell in pain from the surprise attack, she got his full attention. "You want someone to fight, here I am!"

Maarku looked at Shina, his eyes filled with rage. "I don't need any weapons to end you!" He yelled, his mind clouded by red and anger. All he could think about was anyone who thought they could defeat him to just end up dead.

Shina kept her eyes focused on Maarku, bobbing and weaving left to right when he took at least three swings at her. Changing into her beast form, she had morphed into a leopard zoanthrope. Hitting his broad shoulder on the right side two times, she caused him pain. Elbowing him in the face was the next step, and jumped into the air to perform a drop kick on him.

Maarku screamed as he landed on his back again, grunting in a lot of pain. He started to pant heavily, his eyes fixated on Shina's new form. So she did have zoanthrope blood in her after all and of feline species just like her old man. "I'll admit… You're old man would be proud… But still, I wonder how he'd react to you… from keeping it a secret."

Having calmed down, Shina reverted back to her human form and narrowed her eyes at him. "He'd be proud of me, but you… not so much." She said in a deathly calm tone, walking towards her now battered opponent. "Now, you're obviously working for someone, since you usually follow orders… So who sent you?"

The orca zoanthrope looked at Shina, and then remembered he had his army knife stuck in Jet's shoulder. Looking at Jet and back to the young girl again, he pretended to clutch his rib cage. "Tell your old man… he can kiss my feet and burn in hell." He answered, pulling out a grenade.

Shina thought it was a grenade, but in reality it was tear gas. The smoke soon clouded her vision, feeling Maarku make a dash for it. _'Damn it, I got to get away from this gas!'_ She thought in her mind, and covered the rest of her whole upper body with her bomber jacket.

Jet saw Maarku making a dash at him, watching the large man transform back into that humanoid orca again. Watching him leap, he suddenly felt the knife be pulled from his shoulder and screamed in pain. Thankfully the knife wasn't stuck in anything major, or he'd be screwed.

Maarku continued to run, seeing he had blood on his knife. Taking out Busuzima's injector gun, the needle sucked the blood off of his blade. Charging at the caged fence, he knocked it over and stumbled a bit but regained his footing. The large orca continued to run, feeling his injuries starting to heal up a bit faster now. _'That fight was too close…Even Gado's kid is something the Night Brigade can't take for granted'_ He concluded in his mind.

…

Back in the abandoned factory, Clint made the first move and made a mad dash at Stun, throwing the first punch. This 'bug man' intrigued him, having read about Busuzima's description on him. The experiments that the mad scientist performed on him, said that Stun's body would degenerate with some cellular stabilizer. Yet here he was, still standing and breathing for three solid years.

Stun side-stepped, throwing his knee forward into Clint's abdomen and head-butted him. Watching the dark blue-clad operative stumble backwards, he looked at him with curiosity. "Who… sent you?" He asked and his voice a bit raspy.

Clint slowly regained his footing, chuckling a bit. "If I told you, I'd have to kill you."

Yellow eyes narrowed at the silver-haired assailant, knowing he wasn't going to get an answer from him. Still, death was something he wished for. Not only to get rid of this cursed body, but for the research he did that caused so many lives to be lost. However, something in him told him to fight on.

"Sorry… but I believe… Death will have to wait." Stun spoke, charging at Clint with full force.

Clint managed to leap over the large insectoid-like man, crouching and performing a sweep kick to knock Stun off of his feet. Jumping back into the air, he drove his knee into Stun's back and caused him agonizing pain. "How does that feel Goldberg? Not so nice now is it?"

Stun growled, slowly brushing off the pain and glared at the young man. He threw a punch at him, being elbowed in the face and kicked in the thigh. Obviously this assassin was well trained, being able to move so quickly. In his old body, the man that was known as Stephen Goldberg used to work out and practice wrestling to stay in shape. While he was physically fit and strong, he was also intelligent and if not as equally smart as Busuzima.

"Not as nice as this!" Stun retorted back by performing a chop move to Clint's neck, hitting the young man hard in one spot that caused him pain. Not too much, but made sure it hurt like hell.

Clint yelled in pain, stumbling a bit and used a beam to put his weight on for support. "W-what did you do?!" He demanded, wondering how someone like Stun was able to learn such a deadly move.

Stun chuckled, amused that the man that was sent to battle him underestimated the strength and intelligence of him. "There's a lot that the human body can take, such as pressure points." He explained, thinking the assassin could learn a lesson. "As a man who studied science, and practiced in wrestling, I learned to study those weak points. Although don't let this setback put any 'pressure' on you."

"Alright bug man, you just made it personal!" Clint growled, energy charging up within his body and yelled. Four extra limbs were in his place, giving him six arms. The uniform he wore was torn in some areas, but he now had arachnid-like features.

Stun was curious, seeing how his opponent now had an insectoid-like appearance now. Busuzima had gone on how insectoid zoanthropes were never possible, before he was experimented on. He was the first to be turned into one, and that turned out to be a botched failure. Now it seemed that the mistake had been corrected.

The now spider zoanthrope clenched his fists, shooting out strands of web from his wrists. Aiming directly at Stun would be pointless, and would need to throw the bigger insectoid-man's focus off. Clinging to the beams, he used those strands to swing around and hit the larger individual.

Stun was getting hit hard, feeling the strength from the six-armed operative. He grunted hard, getting hit in the jaw and was sent flying. Hitting one of creates he groaned and shook his head. It was time to see if he was like the other zoanthropes. Changing into a much larger insectoid-like creature, he took the form of a beetle zoanthrope and was much bigger in height and muscle. When he saw Clint shoot around strand of webbing his way, he caught it.

Clint's eyes widened behind his visor, being yanked forward and his face met with the large fist. The visor cracked in half, causing him to abandon his sight in the dark. Seeing the large beetle zoanthrope walk toward him, he was grabbed by the face. Being pinned down left him at a big disadvantage. To think his life would end by the hands of this deformed freak.

Stun felt the urge to kill the young operative here and now, but something in him kicked in. Reverting back to his 'normal form', he yelled in pain and clutched his sides. _'Please…Not now! Not when I am so close!'_ He cursed in his mind, feeling the sudden pains in his body caused by the degeneration.

Gathering himself up, Clint pulled off his mask and his eight red eyes glared death at Stun. Charging at the weakened opponent, he tackled him hard and punched him in the face with all six of his fists. The screams from his opponent were blocked out, the young arachnid caught up in a whirlwind of rage. He kept hitting Stun, throwing him to a nearby wall. Taking one of the long pipes on the ground, he walks over to the insectoid-like man and starts hitting him with it. Clint kept repeating the action over and over again. Tossing the pipe away, he kicked the large bug man with his foot.

After about a good thirty minutes of beating his target, he pulled out a metal wire from his from his pouch. He reverted back into his human form so he could choke Stun with his wire and snap his neck. "I should kill you right now!" He hissed, seeing Stun wither in pain, and clutched his sides. For some odd reason, seeing him in this state made him feel sorry. Not out of sympathy for the older male's decaying body and mind, but someone that didn't fight back. Growling in an annoyed tone, he put his gun back into his pouch. "You're not worth it." He hissed, turning around and took out his phone. Calling for any nearby units on his location, he got a signal. "It's Clint! Send a unit to my coordinates. I found a target and would like to send him to… Japan." He said, having a sadistic grin on his face.

He may have spared Stun's life, but he would so love to see his reaction in a place he was not familiar with. Right now, he remembered he had a hot date and that was something he looked forward too. Walking over to Stun, he kicked him in the abdomen and spat at his head. _'That's for making a fool out of me.'_

…

Jet howled in pain, feeling his shoulder get realigned back into place. Thankfully he took some painkillers but it would take away for them to kick in. Looking at Shina, he could see a smirk on her face. "I wish I was as endurable."

"You're good the way you are." Shina said, ruffling his white-blue streaked hair.

Chuckling in response, he looked at her with his blue eyes and sighed deeply. "So, you're a zoanthrope, huh?" He finally spoke, wondering where to start. "How do you know so much about Maarku? What's the history between him and your father?"

Shina sat down next to Jet, stretching her body and wondered where to start. "You already know my father adopted me and I was an orphan of war, and you already know my side of it since you've asked me about it so many times." She chuckled, regaining her sense of seriousness. "The best person to tell you about Maarku Krueger in my father… However, I do know some things about him as I got older and found out myself. I mentioned he and my dad were old war buddies, but Maarku and a few others from my dad's unit had plans of their own."

"What were those plans?" Jet inquired, having an idea of where this was going. He wanted to get an idea of the bigger picture, something that Shina would be able to fill him in on.

"The ex-soldiers went AWOL," Shina began to explain, remembering the man's face as clear as day. "It was on a day my dad showed his zoanthrope form, something he hid from his unit. There was one mission they were on, and out of desperation my dad transformed into a humanoid lion, and killed the soldiers that were on the enemy's side. They were lost in the sight of my dad's power, and looked to somehow exploit that power. My dad refused, and that's when they decided to take things into his own hands."

"If you ask me, they seem like a bad bunch of people." Jet said, wondering if this was the same group that Maarku was working for. "Whatever happened to those soldiers?"

The spiky blonde woman shook her head, wishing she'd known the answer to that one. "I don't know what happened to them, but I do know that when I was thirteen I was kidnapped. Maarku was looking to bait my dad into a trap, and the two fought in a battle to the death. Those scars on Maarku's body, they're the ones my dad left on him."

Jet finished listening to Shina's story, knowing that Maarku escaped and was laying low until now. "We should call your dad and let him know what's going on."

"I agree and he needs to know Maarku is back." Shina said, getting out her cell phone. As she dialed her father's number. _'Maarku…What exactly are you up to?'_ She wondered in her mind.

…

As the night time in New York rolled by, Clint had already cleaned and healed himself up by staying in his zoanthrope form. That fight took a toll on him physically, but needed to stay in the game mentally. He wanted to make a good impression on Cathy and didn't want her to think he wasn't interested. They were at a night club, having a good time and dancing.

"So, you enjoying yourself?" Cathy moved her hips, wearing a short black mini-dress. Normally she didn't dress like this in public, and only went out like this with her lady friends. The twenty-year-old pizza girl grinds her large ass against Clint's lower region. She wore five-inch high heels, giving herself some height to her normal 5'6" physique. Plus she was rather beautiful, her hair in a high ponytail, and lips covered in red lipstick. Also she wore some silver earrings and a golden necklace with some dark blue gems on it.

Clint groaned, feeling a bit turned on. Yet he wondered if he had fully healed from his ordeal with Stun. After he had gotten back to the apartment, he had an argument with Busuzima about not telling him how powerful Stun was. Like Maarku, he was starting to question the thirty-three-year old scientist.

"You bet I am." Clint said, his hands moving to her hips. _'Shit, this girl is smoking hot!'_ He thought in his mind, breathing steady and turned her around. His lavender eyes scanned in her appearance, licking his lips.

Cathy saw the way Clint looked at her, smiling a bit. Pressing her big breasts into his hard chest, she leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "Let's head back to my place."

The silver haired operative looked at her, his ears perking up with interest already. Not only had he asked out a pretty girl, but he would also bed her as well. Too bad they couldn't do the nasty right here in this club. "I can't see why not?"

After several hours, Clint and Cathy were panting heavily. The brunette looked at Clint, smiling at the performance he did on her. "Holy shit!... How many times did I orgasm?"

"About ten times." Clint answered honestly, grinning a bit. Hearing his phone ring, he went to his jacket and picked it up. There were several voicemails and texts from Busuzima, earning a groan from him. _'Can't that fuckin' lizard do something himself?'_

"I'll be right back." Clint winked at Cathy, going to grab his pants and threw them on. Walking out of the room, he went to the kitchen and accepted the call. "What is it? I'm busy at the-"

" _I want you back here at my location this minute."_ Busuzima said over on his end, an annoyed tone in his voice. It was hard to reach Clint, seeing how that no good spider liked to interact with the human night life. Not that the scientist minded any fun, but it was behind his experiments that he enjoyed causing pain. _"Unless I come looking for you with the tracer I put on your phone."_

Clint growled, thinking he needed to get another new phone. This stalker behavior from the chameleon zoanthrope was sudden, and he did not like it one bit. "Alright, just let me get dressed and I'll meet you back at the usual location." He said before hanging up.

"Is everything okay?" Cathy called out to Clint, walking to the kitchen in a white robe.

"Y-yeah, one of my co-workers called… I need to head out now." Clint answered, narrowing his eyes on the wall. He hated to leave a pretty girl like Cathy hanging. Something about her made his life feel grounded, like he was ready to hang up the vigilante gig and blend in. Yet if he didn't come back, either Maarku or Busuzima would harm her.

"If you need to go, I'll wait." Cathy reassured him, taking Clint's hand into her own and kissed it.

' _Man, this kid really doesn't deserve me…But hot damn, her waiting for me is worth it.'_ Clint thought in his mind, grinning inwardly. "I know this whole day was sudden but… I really like you, and I want to get to know you." He said, wondering if he should let her in on his secret. "Cathy, there's something I need to tell you."

Cathy looked at Clint with curiosity, wondering what he wanted to tell her. "What is it?"

"Cathy… I'm not a… regular person." Clint began to explain, his lavender eyes on the young woman. This was it, a very big leap of faith. He was going to expose his secret to her. "I'm a zoanthrope…."

Watching Clint transform into a humanoid spider, her eyes widened her horror. Screaming at the top of her lungs, her phobia of arachnids kicking in and grabbed a chair. "Stay away from me you filthy freak!" She exclaimed, can't believing she had sex with such a vile creature.

The silver haired man's heart felt broken, quickly dodging her attack. Catching the chair, he stood his ground and looked at her. Something inside of Clint snapped, his eyes narrowing dangerously at her. Feeling the angry side of his brain take over, he shot strands of webbing from his wrists. Seeing her struggle, it made him smirk. Walking over to her, he met with her face.

Cathy had never expected this to happen. "Please, don't hurt me." She begged.

Oh they were way pass the forgiveness stage. Clint was leaning closer to her frightened expression. Taking out his metal wire, his grin widened. He had officially cross the line, and enjoyed the screams as he choked her too death.

What appeared to be long hours, Clint had left the apartment through the window. Busuzima was hidden within the apartment, coming out of the closet. He walked around the apartment and seeing the way the spider zoanthrope left a huge mess and found traces of blood everywhere. _'I suppose hiring Catherine was a good idea. It's sad to see her fall victim of the spider. She would've made an excellent candidate for the plans I had in store.'_ He thought in his twisted brain, shifting to the next phase of his plan. _'However, I see potential in a man like Clint. Now that I have him in the mindset of not trusting humans, I can finally begin to recruit followers to my own cause.'_ He concluded as his beady eyes opened, his mouth shifted to a mischievously evil grin.

…

Oh I had fun with this one. Just when you think I was going to give Clint a happy ending, the plot itself decided to twist and become cruel to the poor spider! I wanted to try and introduce racism into the Bloody Roar stories, something I didn't see in the video games. I know Clint's scene at the end was rushed, but it was a way to get him to show that a vicious killer like him isn't so one-dimensional. I decided to make an exception of posting another chapter this week, and wanted to get the chance to flesh out Clint and Maarku's characters. Hope you all enjoyed the story!


	5. Chapter 5: The Gathering

**Chapter 5**

 **The Gathering**

In the hotel room of Tokyo, Japan, Gado had received a call from his daughter. Hearing about the news from her about Maarku resurfacing made his body tense. Those old wounds from their severed friendship, felt like they were reopened. It ached to see his former comrade-in-arms being manipulated. If there was a connection to Maarku and the Night Brigade, it certainly was starting to confirm his suspicions.

" _Dad, what does Maarku's return mean?"_ Shina asked, breaking the long silence between them.

Gado grit his teeth, not at Shina but the nerve of the ex-soldier attacking his daughter. "Shina, I want you to stay with Jet." He said with his voice firm but showed the signs of a protective father. "I'll call you back as soon as possible, and I'll arrive in America to pick you up."

" _Understood, and…I love you."_ Shina said, knowing she wouldn't say those words out loud. However, she wasn't sure when she might talk to her father again.

"I love you too, Jane." Gado said, using his daughter's real name. He felt the same way as her, wanting to make every moment count. Knowing he wasn't like a typical father living in society, Shina grew up in the field of war with him. When word that the Tylon Corporation was doing, he asked his unit to watch over her and have his daughter to attend public high school under an alias he created. Last thing he needed was that tyrannical company to come after his daughter while he took the fight to Tylon.

Alfred stayed in the hotel room Gado was sleeping in. On the flight to Japan, Gado attempted to get Jenny to leave. She was a bit stubborn, but the lion zoanthrope gave in. The British zoanthrope wasn't weak but he didn't want to lose her like he had lost Yuji. When they got to their destination, she asked Gado if she could stay in her own room. Thankfully Gado agreed, on the condition that the room was next or across from them. This whole day was one long train wreck, having to put up with an independent woman who was hell bent on making sure he didn't lose any of his 'nine lives' as she put it.

"Judging from the expression, I take it you know something I don't." Alfred commented, studying the French mercenary. He didn't need a crystal ball to tell him that Gado was full of secrets. While the man was indeed an enigma, his superiors from MI: 6 knew of him and his reputation.

"I take it you want answers?" Gado said, making eye contact with the young British male. Wondering how much Alfred knew, he wanted to see if the kid was as good as the people from the organization say he was. "Do you know the name Tylon?"

Alfred blinked, remembering the multinational corporation. They were known for their military connections. "The name does ring a bell."

"Do you know what else they did?" Gado asked, seeing the sudden hesitance from the frost-haired agent. "They kidnapped people, from children to adults to turn them into zoanthropes like us. Not only were those people put through those experiments, the company was looking to brainwash them into mindless soldiers as well."

Alfred's eyes widened in surprise that Jenny never mentioned this. Then again, it was none of his business to put his nose into other peoples' affairs. "I've tried asking MI: 6 about the Tylon Corporation. My superiors told me not to bother looking into it. Whenever I did, I was threatened if I were to keep my job as a field agent, I would be reduced to a desk job"

Hearing Alfred's words, it made him think that MI: 6 didn't want Alfred to go seeking them out. "Nonetheless, they had a reason for you to not go seeking a vendetta against them. The way the Night Brigade is taking down employees from the Tylon Corporation one by one scares me."

"I thought they all went to jail, and all of the companies would be shut down." Alfred was confused, wondering how a large company with a world wide influence wouldn't just fold up and take everyone involved in.

"Some of are still operational, but they're hidden from the public." Gado began to explain. "The one in South America was used for military purposes, and ever since that was exposed some military nations cut ties with Tylon for their grotesque experiments or didn't want to be tied in and be traced back as one of the sources."

"So we're in Japan to try and recruit the people who were apart of the raid on taking down Tylon?" Alfred inquired, knowing Gado had some allies that helped him take down Tylon. Knowing that he was apart of it, he'd do anything to help take down the man the Night Brigade. And hopefully save his brother from being taken down as well.

…

Staring up at the ceiling, Jenny was fixated on her on thoughts. While she went wore a white spaghetti string tank top and red shorts. The British zoanthrope certainly was a fighter in her own right, and didn't need to be told twice about it.

' _All I wanted to do was help people, and look where that got me.'_

In the past, she was the daughter that came from a wealthy noble family. When she was nineteen-years old, she was 'dating' an American soldier who explained his travels around the world. From there, she had met Gado who was twenty-nine years old at the time. Becoming smitten by him, the two had dated and eventually formed a bond. Then one night, they made love and nine months later she gave birth to a healthy baby girl.

Unfortunately, she had to give up the baby. If her parents had found out, she would be looked down upon with shame for ruining the Burtory family name. Gado and his unit were about to leave England for France, but Jenny was able to get to him on time. The blonde mercenary agreed to take the newborn baby and knew some people that were away from modern society. Over the years, she had taken up martial arts and lent her services to being a secret agent. It was Gado that inspired her to fight, and she lived for the thrill of it. However, needed to maintain a cover-up and the agency she worked for came up with the idea of being a model. She could use her gorgeous appearance to her advantage, to fool everyone she was a stuck-up person who reveled in a glamorous lifestyle by day and a spy by night. During one of her jobs, she was captured by the Tylon Corporation at twenty-eight years old, and they experimented on her. While she had stopped aging, she could never grow old: they had taken away her humanity.

' _All the pain that the Tylon Corporation had caused…Yet somehow Gado was able to rally a small group.'_

Getting the chance to talk with Gado alone, she learned from him that a group of renegade zoanthropes took down the evil company. It seemed like the French mercenary knew everyone. She was told that he took down the Tylon Corporation's main base of operations in South America three years ago. Something about him made her trust him. Not an attraction, but admired him for his determination and bravery.

She wanted to be with someone who was understanding, compassionate, and could help melt the ice around her heart. It wasn't that easy to break down her barriers, but somehow Gado knew what to say to convince her to let go and join the zoanthrope cause.

' _Is it possible that the Night Brigade is a group of victims from the experiments and are looking for revenge?'_ She wondered in her mind, thinking that it was the only logical explanation.

Hearing a knock from the door, she went over to the peep hole and saw Alfred. Going to the bathroom, she grabbed a white robe and wrapped it around her tall frame. Sprinting back to the door, she opened it and blue eyes met with Alfred's gaze. "Did you need something Alfred?" She asked.

Alfred made eye contact with Jenny, keeping his attention to her face. Despite how pretty she looked, his mind remained focused on the mission. "Yes, Gado informed me to tell you we'll be meeting with the others tomorrow morning." He informed her, turning around and going back to the room she shared with his 'commanding officer'.

"Alfred," Jenny spoke his name, seeing him give her a sideways glance. "Can I ask you a few questions?"

The shark zoanthrope looked at the short-blonde haired woman, surprised she showed interest. "Sure, what did you want to talk about?" He asked before he had to leave.

"I was curious, what is your connection to this Fox person?" Diana asked, wondering why Alfred went out of his way to protect a former high-ranking assassin from Tylon.

Alfred's eyes widened in surprise, knowing this was going to be brought up sooner or later. "Fox is my half-brother. We both came from the same woman he killed three years ago before he went off the grid."

Jenny felt uneasy with the idea of someone like a serial killer being Alfred's brother. However, she wanted to be open-minded and see where it went.

"I've never had family. My friends from MI: 6 have been like family to me. Thankfully the unit I work with isn't so serious and we have good laughs." Alfred began to explain, leaning against the door frame.

"I'm curious, when did you start your investigation?" Jenny asked. She was impressed Alfred was a resourceful young man. The fact that he looked into Tylon's top-ranked assassins without being caught, gave him the potential to be a spy like her. However, she knew he was content with his position in MI: 6.

"Three years ago, I secretly managed to hack into Tylon's database before it was wiped clean and the only name I was able to get was Fox. Then I came across the murder of a woman in an alley. I had help from the police's crime unit, and ran traces of DNA samples from the deceased woman and the strand of fox hair from the body." Alfred began to explain, clarifying some details from before the fight on the street. "My intention was to save Hans from himself, and show that he is loved. When I looked at him, he was different. I didn't see that same vicious look in his eyes. It was as if he felt… Ashamed and guilty for what he did. All I want is for him to get the love and attention he didn't get as a child, and maybe to have a brother I can relate to." He finished explaining.

Jenny was touched by Alfred's story. Hearing the foot steps and door closed, she was starting to think maybe the world wasn't as black and white as it was. The fact that Alfred saw the good in someone like Fox made her question her own resolve. Obviously the former Tylon assassin meant the world to Alfred, but she wondered what Fox's thoughts were. Did Alfred tell him how he felt, and would someone like Fox be capable to return those feelings? She sighed, thinking of her own family in the form of Gado and Shina. Maybe if things fell into place, they would be reunited and live together. Yet that was a fantasy that was far out of her grasp.

' _Is it wrong that I want this?'_ Jenny wondered in her mind, glaring at the window and looked at the beautiful city's landscape. _'I know Gado and I have done questionable things in the past, but don't we both deserve another chance at love?'_ Shaking her head, it was best not to think about it too much. Needing her beauty sleep, she went to her bed and lays down. Her hand touches an empty spot on the bed next to her, secretly wishing for the former-mercenary to be in bed and hold her.

…

Outside of the university, Alice was done with one of her classes. She had taken one of those short semester classes, something to help her earn some extra credits. She should have relaxed like Yugo suggested, but she wanted to have a career to help out around the house for Mitsuko and Uriko. She worked part-time at a library, and the pay was actually decent.

Knowing Mitsuko worked full time, Uriko worked on her homework first and then came to help out with the chores of the shop. Whatever mother-daughter time they had, it was usually spent late at nights or on the weekends when the shop was closed. The purple-haired rabbit zoanthrope knew it was hard for Mitsuko to be a single mother, but the woman sure had a very big heart underneath that tough exterior.

Walking out of the entrance and spotting Yugo waiting outside for her, she smiled at her boyfriend. "I'm starting to think Kenji maybe right about you patiently waiting like a dog for it's master to arrive home." She said with a smile.

Yugo grinned, holding his hands up in defeat. "You got me Ally, I'm guilty as charged." He laughed.

"I take it Kenji and Uriko are on their study date at Mitsuko's?" Alice asked, knowing Yugo dropped Kenji off at Mitsuko's for their study sessions. It was nice that Uriko had a friend, one to keep her out of mischief and keep her company. Also the cobalt haired boy was a big help, whenever Mitsuko needed an extra pair of hands around the store or house in general.

"Yeah, Kenji seems to fit right in. He's always helping Uriko with her homework or with her and your mom out with the store." Yugo commented, surprised that Kenji was such a mature boy for his age. He knew his brother was a social butterfly like him, and really thought that his little brother deserved to be with boys his own age. The last time Kenji did, he had gotten into a rough patch where his peers egged him on to hurt a cat. It annoyed him that those boys would do such a thing, but in the end Kenji did the right thing and saved that cat. However, it wasn't fair that he got hurt by them. Thankfully Uriko was there to save him, and got one of the teachers involved to straighten the delinquents out.

"Hmmm, you know Yugo, I'm thinking maybe all four of us should do something tonight." Alice said, thinking that her mother deserved a night off. It wasn't that she couldn't afford to, but the boar zoanthrope was always on her toes and only had one day to herself. That was either spending time with her and Uriko, or checking everything in the store to see that it was in check. "Plus my mother deserves at least one day off. She barely has any time to herself, and I'm sure she'd like that as well."

Yugo nodded his head, it has been awhile since he and Alice took the kids out with them. Uriko and Kenji were in their pre-teens, and they only had one year left before they would turn thirteen-years old. It was only fair they gave them a night to remember, and the small stuff did count.

"Sure, why not? I'm sure Kenji and Uriko would love to get a chance to play a few games." Yugo said, scratching the back of his head. "By games, I mean activities like mini-golf, bowling, the local video arcades."

Alice beamed at one of Yugo's ideas, thinking it was a good way to help relieve some of the studious mindset she had right now. "I think bowling sounds like a good idea. And maybe we can get some ice cream afterwards."

Yugo grinned like a little kid, putting his arm around Alice. "See, I always come up with a good idea every now and then." He kissed Alice's cheek.

…

As the two walked back to the shop where Mitsuko owned, Yugo's eyes focused on Gado and two other people he wasn't familiar with. Eyeing the blonde French man, he let a small smile show on his lips. "Gado, it's been awhile." He said, being his friendly self.

"Yugo, Alice, Mr. Gado has some news he… wants to share with us." Mitsuko informed them, Uriko and Kenji by her side. Having heard the news herself, she felt a surge of protectiveness over the two young children. _'Gado, I know you mean well, but this…What you have in mind is a lot to take in, even for Alice and Yugo.'_ she thought in her mind. She didn't know Yugo's parents, but she had heard about the stories of his childhood with Alice. Being glad that her foster daughter had someone she could always be around, she felt protective of her of ever being captured by the Tylon Corporation or any form of evil from the world.

Alice saw the friendly mask from Yugo slip away, knowing that Yugo's greeting of breaking the ice was a cover up. Turning her gaze to Kenji and Uriko, she walked over from Yugo to Mitsuko. Looking at the two with a kind smile, her red eyes focused on them. "How about we go upstairs and see if I can help you with your school work? Any upcoming tests you need help studying on?"

Yugo smiled at the scene, knowing Alice always had a plan to take a child's mind off something. Sensing that Alice had taken Uriko and Kenji out of the room, his gaze immediately shifted to Mitsuko. "Mrs. Nonomura, do you have a room where I can discuss things with Gado in private?"

Mitsuko nodded, knowing Yugo's tone was rather serious. "The storage room in the back where I get the deliveries is as private as it gets." She informed him, walking over to the door. Knowing this was a very private manner, she closed up shop and puts up the 'out to lunch' sign on the front.

Yugo, Gado, and the two other individuals followed Mitsuko to the back. Knowing the place had several create boxes, he sat on one of them. There was nothing important in there, but good enough to sit on. Chestnut brown eyes went back to Gado again, having a calm and deathly serious tone in his voice. "Alright Gado, I know you're not hear for a reunion, so what is this about?" He asked, straight to the point.

Gado was used to Yugo's straight-forward nature and it reminded him of his friend Yuji's. Back when he and Yuji ever did interrogations, they captured one of the enemy soldiers. Tending to be the 'good cop', Yuji used attics to scare the toughest of soldiers into getting answers. People tended to view Gado as the 'bad cop', due to his intimidating appearance, but underneath that was a calm and patient man. However, this was not an interrogation, so the blonde lion zoanthrope was about to talk.

"I've been investigating into a group called the Night Brigade." Gado began to explain, seeing the wolf zoanthrope's gaze look at him with curiosity. "They're basically targeting humans and zoanthropes from the Tylon Corporation."

Yugo looked at Gado, standing up immediately and his body tensed at the idea of a group picking a fight with those people. As evil as those people were, and they certainly had it coming, they didn't deserve to be picked off like sheep being attacked by a wolf in a metaphorical way.

"Easy Yugo," Mitsuko spoke up, placing a strong hand on Yugo's shoulder. She felt him tense, but sensed him calming down a bit. She understood the need to avenging people. As much as she wanted to get back at the Tylon Corporation who did this to her daughter, she knew revenge wasn't the answer. As hot-tempered as she was, she never went over the line of physically harming a person with extreme measures.

Gado could sense that Yugo was looking for a fight, obviously remembering three years ago that he told Yuji's death to him. It wasn't pleasant to either of them, but the death of someone close to them left a deep wound in them. "They've been operating under the radar for three years after the Tylon Corporation fell, and we encountered one of them in England."

This was the first time Yugo was hearing this, and it was as clear as day. Gado had kept a secret from him, a secret that he wasn't aware of and he gritted his teeth. "How long has this been going on?!"

"Three years." Gado answered, knowing Yugo deserved to know. He didn't want the young man to get into a fight he couldn't win by himself.

"If that's true, I deserve to know the truth as well." A feminine voice spoke, gaining everyone's attention including Yugo's. "Gado, I know you're a man of secrets, but Yugo seems to trust you. The idea of you holding something like this back… obviously must mean you know something."

Yugo gazed at Alice, his canine features starting to retract and resuming a more human appearance. He always knew Alice had a serious look whenever he did something wrong, mostly out of something that was something comically childish. However, this look that she gave Gado was similar to his, but in control and rational. _'I'll remind myself to thank her after this is over.'_ He smiled inwardly and turned his gaze back to Gado. "Let's start from the beginning." He spoke up, sitting back down. "This Night Brigade… What exactly is it?"

Gado sighed with relief, glad that Alice was in the room. Her words made him thankful he was spared from Yugo's wrath. He knew the young man was capable of great strength, but he feared of how far the anger inside him would've got if Alice hadn't shown up. "The Night Brigade is a group of violent zoanthrope vigilantes. They mostly target criminal gangs and every form of scumbag out there, including violent zoanthropes who despise humans which are all heavily connected to the Tylon Corporation. They protect both humans and zoanthropes, deeming them as 'innocent'."

Yugo raised an eyebrow at this, wondering why they were doing this. "Hold on, this doesn't make any sense." He said as stood up, confused by such actions. "You're telling me that this group want to 'protect' humans and zoanthropes, and to be honest I don't buy it."

"I may have a theory on that, one that I discussed with Gado." Jenny spoke up, gaining Yugo and Alice's attention. "It's possible these people are victims from the experiments by the corporation itself."

Alice looked at Jenny, her red eyes focused on the blonde-haired woman. "Who are you exactly?" She asked, finding her presence to be questionable

Jenny looked at the rabbit zoanthrope with amusement, seeing the serious expression on her cute face. "My name is Jenny darling." She introduced herself. "And no need to get suspicious of me, we're on the same side. Then again, I'm glad I'm not near you… You certainly seem to be how you say 'green with envy'."

Yugo immediately saw Alice wanting to make a retort, but placing both his hands on her shoulders. Last thing he needed was his rabbit to blow her stack and get into a fight. "Do you think they're out for revenge?"

Gado nodded his head, stroking his chin lightly. "It is possible. I tried looking through the old database for any zoanthrope names, and it was completely wiped clean."

"Are there any locations they attack in?" Yugo asked, wanting to get an idea of maybe finding one of these vigilantes.

"They mostly stay active in North America, mostly operating in New York City." Alfred answered, knowing this was one going to be a big surprise for both Alice and Yugo. The fact that he was in the room, with the two people that his half-brother attacked three years ago, might do something to him. "I managed to meet one of their operatives, but unfortunately she escaped with one of Tylon's former assassins, someone you both know."

Yugo eyed Alfred again, wondering who Gado's new associate was. "Not to get off topic, but I didn't catch your name."

Alfred looked at Yugo, sensing suspicion from the brown-haired man. Knowing this would get ugly, but he figured it was best to get it over and done with. "My name is Alfred Blood. I'm an agent from MI: 6 of the British government. Gado requested my help for this investigation." He introduced himself, preparing for what he was about to say next. "Now the assassin that the Night Brigade acquired was Hans Taubemann, also known as Fox, who happens to be my older half-brother."

Yugo was surprised by this revelation, his gaze turning to focus on Alice. Seeing the look in her red eyes, he was well aware of the fox zoanthrope's reputation as a scoundrel. Also he knew Fox kidnapped Uriko, which gave him all the more reason to try to calm the rabbit zoanthrope down.

Alice got the urge to go right up to him, but Yugo was there to hold her back again. Her eyes focused back onto Alfred, having a serious look in them. "Forgive me if I sound blunt, but what your brother did was unforgiveable. He killed people out of his own sick pleasure. He even kidnapped my little sister!"

"I know Hans has done some despicable and horrendous crimes in the past, but he's my brother." Alfred said, his own eyes meeting with Alice's enraged glare. "Regardless what you may think of him, I want to save him from himself, and he is the only family member I have."

Gado in between Alice and Alfred, not wanting to have an argument break out but he did need to tell Yugo this next piece of information. "I also got a phone call, from my daughter in America. She and her friend were attacked, someone who is also part of the Night Brigade."

"If you want me to join your cause, count me in." Yugo said, feeling his shoulder be grabbed by Alice and was pulled to the side.

"Yugo, this is a bad idea." Alice said, her red eyes focused on Yugo. She had never seen her partner so serious, and Gado had them being drawn in. "I know you trust Gado, but I hardly know him…"

Yugo saw the look of concern in Alice's eyes and face, showing a small smile and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Ally, don't worry. Gado's a friend of the family, and he's had our backs when we took down Tylon."

"That's just it." Alice said, her gaze shifted from Gado and back to Yugo. "He knows things, things that he'd rather not tell us. And those secrets get people killed."

Yugo pulled her into a tight hug, his strong hands rubbing her back to help sooth her. "Alice… I'll talk with Gado and see if I can straighten a few things out." He reassured her, kissing her forehead and walked over to Gado.

Alice hugged her sides, leaning against the wall and looked down at the floor. No, Gado knew something that he wasn't telling them. No, that was her own paranoia and insecurities playing on her mind and self-esteem. _'What if I'm wrong…What if Gado is hiding something that he doesn't want Yugo to find out about? I saw the way he was looking at him, like he wanted to tell him something but couldn't. What if that secret sets Yugo's mind on a path of vengeance and he gets killed?'_ She wondered inside her mind, not wanting to lose him like the Tylon Corporation took away her parents. This was a lot to take in, even for her. She had a chilling feeling that something bad would happen, and it would come back to haunt them all.

…

The stage is officially set now! I know Yugo and Alice needed to get back into the swing of things, so this was a very good set up as any. The conclusion to the second arc is a few moments away, and I guarantee that the next arc will be quite the rollercoaster ride. ;)


	6. Chapter 6: Guilt and Treachery

**Chapter 6**

 **Guilt and Treachery**

Within the headquarters of the Night Brigade, Elsa was sparring with Slade. Whenever she asked to train with him, the older man would accept the young street fighter's request. The twenty-one year old man required someone of equal skill level, to be his second-in-command if he was ever out. The two continued to trade blows, basically on equal ground.

"You're skills have come a long way, Elsa." Slade commented, seeing the way Elsa used his forearm to defend and counter his fist.

Elsa's jade eyes kept his gaze on the businessman, but wondered what he was going to do next. "If you're looking to distract me, your attempt is failing."

"Never let your guard down my young protégé." Slade quipped, electricity cackling around his fist. It threw Elsa back a few inches. His skin such as his forearms and head were covered in feathers.

Seeing her leader take the form of a falcon, Elsa transformed into his scorpion form. Taking charge, she watched Slade come at him with full force. She maneuvered to the left, going to dodge the kick. However, Slade had faked his approach and jabbed her in the chest.

Slade felt Elsa's pinchers on his wrist, tossing him to a nearby wall. Using his clawed fingers and toe-nails to cling to it, he turned and smirked at his second-in-command. Elsa came at him and managed to feel a kick to his abdomen. _'She certainly is getting better.'_

Slade managed to get in a few hits, interlacing his fingers together and clenched his fists together. Hitting Elsa and sent her flying to the ground, lunging at her and used the sharp claws on his fingers to press into his throat. However, he saw one of her claws aimed at his throat and the two were in a draw. The two reverted to their human forms, conserving their energy and not exert their bodies.

"Our training session ends today." Slade said, taking Elsa's hand. Slowly bringing her up, he suddenly sensed the presence of another and turned to see Fox. Seeing the smirk on the slender man lips, his eyes narrowed at him. "Can I help you with something Fox?"

"Oh no, I just wanted to see you kids in action…" He answered, coolly walking over to the two. "… So, what's the relationship between you two?"

A chuckle escaped from Elsa's mouth. "You presume wrong Fox. There is no relationship between us. We're just good friends who look out for each other."

Fox's body leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. The more he was around the Night Brigade, the more mysterious they were. Slade was a complete enigma to him. How had he come across Tylon's list of employees?

Now, his unofficial status as a double agent wasn't discovered thankfully, but he needed answers to the Night Brigade's true endgame. He couldn't just blurt out the question. Give it more time and to earn his current boss' trust, he could learn the secret of his plan.

"Good friends, right." Fox said, masking his emotions and waved at the comment. He was good at pretending like he didn't care.

Slade went to the gym bag, reaching in to grab two bottles of water and tossed one to Elsa. "Elsa, can you watch the base for me while I'm gone?" He asked her, watching the scorpion zoanthrope nod her head.

Fox watched Slade leave, shaking his head. The twenty-five year old fox needed answers, not more questions about Slade. "How long has the Night Brigade been around?"

Elsa took a long sip of her water and was satisfied to relieve her quench of thirst. She looked at Fox, knowing Slade didn't trust him for obvious reasons. It was obvious that he was not comfortable with how Slade gave him the cold shoulder. The young blonde despised Fox, but with Elsa around she showed him compassion. "Um, I haven't asked Slade. I've only been on the team for a year. You can ask the other operatives, depending when they come back."

Fox looked at Elsa with curiosity, already intrigued by her answer. So it wasn't just the eighteen-year old street fighter that operated out on the field as well. Assuming that the grunts did all the work, there were other operatives as well. _'Now we're getting somewhere.'_ He inwardly smirked, thinking he just found the weak link in Slade's group.

…

Jet jumped a bit, watching an action movie with Shina. It was one of those flicks from the nineties, and the blonde French girl won a bet through a coin toss. Heads they watch a movie Jet picked or tails Shina would end up picking a movie. She ended up, and didn't let Jet live it down.

"My, aren't we jumpy tonight." Shina teased him, her icy blue eyes glancing at her friend with a smirk.

Jet glared at her an exaggerated manner, his blue eyes focused on her. "Real adorable Shina, forgive me if I don't share your taste for 'loud explosions'."

Shina covered her mouth, snickering at his comment. Having grown up in the field of war, the blonde tomboy was good at what she did, similar to her old man. "You should've been prepared when dating someone who grew up in the battlefield."

Jet let that response sink in, growing quiet at that answer. When the movie was done, he went over to the DVD player and pressed a button to take out the disc. Putting it back in the case, he glanced at Shina's direction. "I never got your answer."

"What answer would that be?" She asked and was confused by what he meant.

"Before Maarku invaded the apartment and snuck in, I told you I wanted us to be official." Jet said, the room having grown silent. It was a lot to take in, especially for his zoanthrope companion.

Shina was silent for a moment, remembering his words. When Maarku had Jet on the ropes, she went into action without thinking and saved his life. Not wanting to let another man she loved, aside from her foster father, be put in harm's way she was hesitant. "Jet… There's a lot that goes into a relationship. You really made me open up to things that I didn't know I'd enjoy: Going to a movie, bowling, trying new foods, and I like those things when I'm with you." She began to open up and admitting she liked this relaxing lifestyle.

"Shina, I know you've told me you grew up in being surrounded by war." Jet began to talk, thinking maybe he should open up a secret he never told anyone. "Before we met three years ago, I was kidnapped by a company who experimented on people. I don't want to go into details, but you should know if it wasn't for your father I wouldn't have met you."

Shina's icy blue eyes focused on Jet, surprised by such a secret. "How come you didn't tell me this?" She asked, thinking he had his reasons for not telling him.

"I thought at the time when we first met, I wanted to share my secret," Jet went into details about his answer. It was at a time and place where after he had been rescued, he didn't want to lose any friendships he made. "I wasn't sure how you'd react to a zoanthrope. Yet that doesn't seem to matter anymore now does it?"

The leopard zoanthrope walked over to him, placing a hand on his cheek. "Jet, I wouldn't have seen you as a freak." She admitted. "I love you, zoanthrope or not, you're the best thing to happen to me and I love every moment I'm with you."

Jet felt his heart beat, grinning at the younger female. "And I love you too, with every bit of action you display." He wrapped his muscular arms around her, leaning down and claimed her lips.

…

So this was Jet's current location. He had been to New York City so many times, and saw Jet that he didn't have the time. Wearing his business attire, he mostly wore a black jacket, a purple button-up shirt, silver tie, black slacks, and black leather shoes. His company was located here, so it was either doing business or performing tasks for the Night Brigade. The Night Brigade… If Jet had found out that he was helping such a group, his friendship with him would be torn apart.

Walking into the apartment building, he walked up the flight of stairs. Taking out the piece of paper, he looked at the apartment number and saw it was a few doors down. _'I wonder if Jet will ever want to still be friends. It's been three years after what the Tylon Corporation did to him, and I wasn't there to help him readjust.'_ What was he thinking? Jet didn't need his help at all, because when the white-blue streaked haired teen was free he slipped back into the old routine like a glove. Even though he was kidnapped and experimented on, Jet didn't allow himself to be a victim of traumatic experience. Something inside him was harder than steel, a 'steely will' is what Slade described it.

Escaping from his thoughts, he knocked on the door. Hearing lots of scrambling going on in the background, he rubbed the back of his head. Was Jet having company over, or were there rodents in the midst? The mere thought of rat zoanthropes in the city made Slade shudder inwardly.

Whenever his avian side kicked in, that falcon within him was a ruthless predator and caught mice or rats to eat without a second thought. And whenever he reverted back into his human form, he would throw up from the experience. Maybe it could be a flaw in the artificial gene-splicing, or was it something natural within zoanthropes. He'd have to ask Busuzima about it, as much as it made him feel uneasy. Asking Obadiah was a first option, but the green-haired chameleon was better at explaining these things. That and he could swear that a house fly humorously float around the eccentric reptile and that long tongue crept out and caught it.

' _No more disgusting thoughts!'_ Slade shouted in his mind, hearing a click from the door.

As soon as the door opened, Jet was standing there rather calm. Blue eyes studied the older blonde male, instantly recognizing him. "Slade!" He pulled the man into a tight hug.

Slade returned the friendly hug, knowing Jet was strong in nature. Luckily he developed the zoanthrope strength through Busuzima's gene-splicing and Obadiah's rigorous training. "It's been ages, hasn't it?"

"I think you think 'dinosaur' ages." Jet snickered a bit, secretly making a pun to his own Jurassic-like form. He welcomed his old friend in, letting the blonde man set in. "So, can I offer you anything to drink? I can get you a bottle of water, or brew up some tea."

"I'm good thank you. I just finished working out." Slade reassured him, knowing he was speaking half the truth. The blonde businessman looked around, seeing Jet had a cozy apartment. He wondered what Jet did these days? Picking up a strong scent, he sniffed around the apartment of an odor.

Shina waltzed in, wondering who was at the front door. After the incident with Maarku, she wanted to be prepared for him or anyone that dared attack them. Her icy blue eyes gazed at the man, wondering who he was and then it hit her. "So, what brings a rich boy like you all the down here?" She asked with a smirk.

Slade turned his gaze to Shina, silver eyes taken in her appearance. He raised a delicate eyebrow, wondering who the tomboy was. Some ideas were running through his head, having an idea of what happened. "I'm a friend of Jet's. I take you're his… girlfriend?"

Already there was a wide smirk from Shina, leaning against the frame and chuckled. "Why, are you jealous?" She joked, teasing the blonde businessman.

"Shina, this is my childhood friend Slade Atlas. Slade, meet Jane Gado. She prefers Shina." Jet made the introductions.

Slade took Shina's hand, impressed by her strong grip. Already he was sensing the presence of a zoanthrope within her. Not only that, but he remembered that Fox had told him how Gado and his friends had taken down the Tylon Corporation. Oh, he was totally screwed if anyone caught wind that he was the leader for the Night Brigade. Still, he was extremely lucky that her father was not here.

When Shina took Slade's hand, she felt a bit uneasy. Just by telling from his grip, she could sense something within him. Could it be the presence of a zoanthrope? She hadn't picked it up from Maarku, but she knew that there was something wrong with him. This guy was Jet's friend, so she would play it out. "So Slade, what do you do exactly?"

"My company deals with breakthroughs in inventions that help benefit the world as a whole." Slade explained, thankful that Obadiah had helped him get his company out of bankruptcy. Turning his gaze to Jet, he wanted to catch up with him. "So Jet, do you go to school?"

"Yeah, I graduated high school last year and started coming to New York City for an education. I'm looking to become a lawyer, so if you ever need someone to get you out of a jam, I'll make some business cards." Jet winked at Slade.

There was another knock at the door, Jet going over to look through the peep hole. He snorted out of nervousness, seeing the sight of a familiar blonde spiky haired man. Also there were four other people, who looked like his entourage. _'Fuck, I knew this would happen.'_ He thought in his head, turning his gaze to Shina. "Your dad is here and he's come to kill me."

Shina's icy blue eyes widened, bringing a hand to her forehead and groaned in embarrassment. Knowing her new boyfriend tended to exaggerate on things, but she knew why he was here. "Chill out, I gave him your address as one of the locations where I would stay at." She explained to him to clarify some things.

Jet opened the door to see the French mercenary with his group of associates. "Mr. Gado, it's been awhile." He said, bringing out his hand.

Gado nodded his head, taking Jet's hand in return and shook it. Having been friends with Jet's parents for two decades, he was an 'uncle' of sorts. "Hello Jet, it's good to see you as well." He said, being formal like always. Seeing Jet step to the side, he walked in and looked around the apartment. "I take it Shina is safe?"

"Don't worry old man, I'm in one piece." Shina replied, mentally rolling her eyes. Eyeing her father, she noticed four other people with him. Already she picked up zoanthrope scents from them, wondering who they were. "So, I take it this is your posse?" She asked with a sly grin.

The lion zoanthrope inwardly groan, running a cool hand through her hair. His foster daughter loved to make jokes at his expense. _'I'm starting to see some of Jenny in her.'_ He concluded where the wise cracks came from.

Jenny covered her mouth with her hand, giggling at Gado's response to the joke. Her eyes gazed upon Shina, amazed at how much her daughter had grown. _'Oh my, Gado certainly did say Jane had grown up…I didn't expect her to take after her father in appearance, but…She's grown to be a pretty girl.'_ She thought as her inner pride allowed herself to be happy for Shina.

"We're all friends of your father's." Yugo spoke up, the brown haired man surprisingly calm at the moment. There was a part of him that wanted to laugh at the 'posse' joke, but ever since Gado mentioned the Night Brigade, he couldn't allow these vigilante zoanthropes to get away with these things. As much as criminals deserved to be punished, taking a life was not the answer. It wasn't something his father wanted for him and to have it weigh in on his conscience.

Shina looked at the brunette, taking in his appearance. Looking at the brown haired man in her father's unit, they both had a striking resemblance. "Say, you look like someone from my dad's unit?"

Yugo looked at Shina with a curious look on his face, nodding his head. "Yeah, that's my father, Yuji Ohgami!" He answered and turned to look at Gado. "And she called you 'dad'. I didn't know you had a daughter."

Gado's mind snapped back to reality, looking at Yugo who had asked him a question. "She's my foster daughter." He clarified, thinking some introductions were in order. "Everyone, this is my daughter Shina and the young man that she protected, Jet Raxton."

Alice stepped forward, bowing her head at the two. "My name is Alice Nonomura."

"Alfred Blood. I'm with MI: 6 of the British government, aiding Gado in his investigation."

"Jenny Burtory, an acquaintance of your father's."

Yugo stepped forward, his eyes taking in on Jet, Shina, and Slade. "My name is Yugo Ohgami." He introduced himself, showing a bit of a grin. It was to help break away the tension he was feeling. Also maybe meeting new people would help break the uneasy emotions he was feeling. "I'm one of the people that helped Gado take down the Tylon Corporation, along with several others."

"I happen to be one of those people." Alice chimed in, holding Yugo's hand. She was glad that boyfriend was starting to loosen up.

So that was the name of the company that captured Jet. There was a rumor about a multinational company being shut down three years ago. Shina's icy blue eyes were on Gado, paying a lot of attention to him. _'You have a lot of questions to ask you old man.'_ She thought in her head. It would explain where he went three years ago, and she deserved to know those answers.

Jet walked over to Yugo, amazed that the wolf zoanthrope was the one that freed the captured people from the Tylon Corporation. "I was one of those people that got captured by Tylon." He said, blue eyes meeting with Yugo's chestnut brown eyes, bringing out his hand. "I want to thank you out of gratitude for what you and the others did."

Yugo looked up at Jet, allowing a full smile to form on his lips. Taking a hand in general, he gave it a good firm handshake. "It's all good. And it's nice to meet a fellow zoanthrope as well."

Alice's red eyes turned to gaze at Slade, who seemed to feel out of place. She walked over to him, sensing that he was rather quiet. "You seem rather quiet. Are you a friend of Jet or Shina's?" She asked, curious to how he knew one of the two.

Slade looked at Alice, looking at the smile on her face and the warmness she gave off. Feeling himself go a bit red in the cheeks, his silver eyes averted her stare. "I'm a friend of Jet's. I just met Shina today… So you're a zoanthrope too?"

The purple-haired twenty-year old nodded her head awkwardly, wondering how Slade felt about her. "Yes I am… Are you one as well?"

"No, I'm not." Slade answered, mentally wincing that he lied through his teeth. He hated to keep this secret. Being around these people, they all seemed to generate nothing but good vibes about him. Yet here he was, the leader of the Night Brigade secretly hanging out with his best friend, his girlfriend, and the resistance group that was led by the legendary Gado himself. "Let's say I don't take kindly to bullies and racism in general, and just know that you have my support in the long run."

Alice beamed at Slade's kind words, feeling her heart warm up to someone that didn't fear or despise her kind. "That's very kind of you… I didn't catch your name."

"My name is Slade Atlas." Slade offered his hand out of a friendly gesture, showing a warm smile towards the rabbit zoanthrope. Feeling her hand grip his, she was certainly strong but warm and soft. _'Wow, her grip certainly gives off a sense of warm, but also a sense of determination.'_ He thought in his head, feeling his heart pound and blushed harder. Why was he feeling this way around a young woman like her? He'd just met her, and all of a sudden he developed an admiration for her… No, it was a crush.

"I don't mean to spoil the moment, but I need everyone's attention." Gado spoke up. Whenever he had anyone's attention, he had a reason to speak. It was like a command not out of authorization, but out of respect that he had something important to say. "We're here because a vigilante group known as the Night Brigade maybe operating in this city, and one of the operatives were found here in the city."

Slade's gaze focused on Gado, hearing the mention of his group. However, the news that Maarku attacked Jet put him on edge. Normally the orca zoanthrope didn't pick fights, but he certainly took orders. It was usually himself that gave Maarku and the others commands to do their tasks. Going back to his memories, he remembered a certain night where Busuzima had an interest of recruiting Jet to be in the Night Brigade. He warned him to stay away from his best friend. _'I warned Busuzima not to go near Jet…Clearly he thinks he can use others to do his dirty work is another mistake.'_ He thought in his mind, concluding that traitorous chameleon would go unpunished once he got a hold of him.

…

Now the second arc comes to a close. I kept the chapter short than the previous chapters. It was mostly character-driven, wanting to explore the thoughts and character interactions between my characters and the BR cast. Also I wanted to add in hints of drama that'll come up in future chapters. ^^


	7. Chapter 7: Smoke and Cracked Mirrors

**Chapter 7**

 **Smoke and Cracked Mirrors**

The three members of the Night Brigade had gotten back. Having to lay low and not wanting to put up with Elsa's nagging, all three decided to part on their own terms. Clint and Maarku decided to go to the break room, need to burn off their frustrations. They decided on ping pong, and Clint wanted a rematch with the muscular Hawaiian.

It was an intense match between Clint and Maarku in the break room, the two looking fiercely at each other. Clint let out a 'battle-like cry' raising his fist. Although that fist became open as a ball was tossed in mid-air. Using the paddle in his hand, he hit it on Maarku's side.

Maarku just smirked, yelling as he used his own paddle to hit the ball fast. "You can't beat me kid." He said, watching the small white ball fly past the silver-haired zoanthrope. "I'm the undefeated king of ping pong."

Clint growled in frustration, his temper starting to show. Yes, he and his partner were playing a game of ping pong. It wasn't serious, but the forty-five year old male sure loved to rub it in. "I can never beat you in ping pong. Why is that again?"

Maarku watched Clint pick up the ball again, hitting it to his side and countered it. "Back when I was a child, my older brother and I used to play it. Our dad taught us how to play, and we became naturals at it. Of course, I was the better player but that didn't damper my love for the sport."

Obviously not showing the slightest bit of interest, Clint didn't care. However, it was interesting to see Maarku opening up to him. Maybe it was something where they could find common ground in. "I know you hate humans, but do you hate your family?" He asked, counting the ball.

Maarku was surprised by that question, hitting the ball hard. A sensitive nerve hit him that his partner would ask such a thing. "They are human, but I do not hate them. I may have reasons to hate the species itself, but if anything I want my family to remain unharmed."

Clint was caught off guard by Maarku's sensitive spot, countering the ball back and sighed with relief. "Look, I get now you love your… family. Yet what if they found out you were alive, what they think, or if you were to die that you'd never get to see them again."

"That'll never happen." Maarku said firmly, countering the ball and sent it flying past Clint. "When I first joined the Tylon Corporation, I asked them to erase everything about me and fake my own death."

Clint remained unfazed by the ball flying past him, his lavender eyes on the older male. "What if we're being played by Slade? We're both killers to the core, and he doesn't trust us. Obviously he wants to snuff us out the first chance he gets when he discovers we used to be part of the Tylon Corporation."

Maarku let a confident smile plaster onto his lips, running a hand through his dark hair. "Sure, like the rich brat has a chance to go up against us." He said, his eyes moving to the spider zoanthrope. "What about you and Cathy? Would she accept you?"

Clint showed a dark scowl at that question, glaring daggers at the male. Walking up close to him, he brought his gun out and brought it to his chin. "Ever say her name again… I'll blow your brains out." His words covered in icy venom, remembering the exact words of her disgust towards him.

Maarku could feel the cool metal pressed against his chin, still smiling at the young male. Seeing him pull the weapon away, he watched him leave. Once his young partner was out of ear range, he let a dark chuckle escape. Walking over to where the ball was, he looked at it and his large hand covered it. "And that's why I always win." He said, crushing the ball with his immense strength. "Because I get inside my opponent's head and see what makes them tick.

" _This is your beloved leader Slade speaking, and I have an important message for you all. Since you're all a bounce of loose wild cards, I've decided to end your pathetic lives by setting the base to self-destruct. Good luck finding the nearest exist, and have a nice day!"_

Hearing the blaring sirens, the room started to flash red. The large Hawaiian's eyes widened, gritting his teeth in anger. "I guess the stupid spider was right." He muttered under his breathe, immediately leaving the room. The others could get out on their own, and he was about to make sure he didn't go down with the ship.

…

Obadiah was by himself within his main base of operations, his laboratory. He was working on another project of his. It appeared to be a robot, being modeled after Bakuryu. Remembering the enhancements the old ninja put himself through, his body could not take it. While he didn't care for the mole zoanthrope's arrogant ambitions, he saw an excellent asset to his army of assassins.

Staying in his lab helped him be isolated by the noise. He enjoyed his solitude, being able to concentrate on his various projects. Wearing a metal mask, he took one the tools from the side of his table. Sparks started to spray out from the device he was using, making sure the gears in his creation were properly connected.

Pulling himself away from his work, he walked into another room and called the door. As he took off the mask, he took a recorder from the table. "Attempt number thirty-two." He said, pressing some buttons and activated the machine. "Outside of the interest of zoanthropes, I make attempts to study other fields as well. Cybernetics is a unique form, building a machine with intelligence."

As he continued to watch the machine walk, he showed a satisfied smirk. "I've only programmed the robot I am working on with basic commands. The current lesson is walking. Similar to an infant, the parents teach the baby how to walk, crawl, and various activities for them to learn and adapt. The machine I have built, I am getting the basics down so that it may one move freely on it's on free will. For now, it must be able to take in small commands before advancing to the next phases."

Pressing the button again, he stopped the red robot. Ending his recording session, he walked out of the other room and looked at his creation with pride. Pressing his finger to his ear piece, Obadiah contacted his team of scientists from the outside world. "This is Obadiah Tylon. Have a team work on my prototype to the YUN CHI Manufacturing INC. I am sending you the data immediately."

" _Yes sir, we should have a team assembled ready to work on the project."_ The head scientist spoke up. _"We've also started to create the battle data based on Bakuryu's style of Ninjitsu and the goo from his original body."_

"Excellent, I want you to take over and finish my battle robot for me." Obadiah instructed, hearing a long period of silence.

" _May I ask why Mr. Tylon? You usually want to finish something and Project: Iron Mole has been your very own pet project since the fall of your base."_

Obadiah let a low growl escape, remembering what happened to his main headquarters. The lion zoanthrope and his friends would pay for what they did that day. "That's none of your concern." He said in an angry tone, pounding his fist onto the metal table. Looking at the dent he made, he smirked and shifted his mindset elsewhere.

Upon hearing the sirens blaze, he smirked and pressed a button on his computer. He had just sent the data to his team of scientists, before smashing his computer. Finally, he started to set his lab on fire. Walking over to a panel, he placed his hand on it and the walls opened to show a hidden elevator, stepping into it. It was only a matter of time before Busuzima showed his true colors, and he had planned this event for such an occasion. The Night Brigade had outlived their usefulness, and it was time to tie up loose ends. His intuition told him Gado was in New York, and he looked forward to settling the score.

Thinking back to a time before he was the industrial captain of his own company, he was a mere boy who grew up on the streets of Harlem, New York. In the streets, he knew the only way to not show weakness was to fight back. In some twisted way, he liked getting into fights but always got scolded by his parents for getting into trouble. 

In order to make himself better, he went to the gym for physical fitness in order to maintain any athletic prowess. While physical strength through offense and defense was important, he needed to be mentally sharp as well. Putting himself through school, he studied hard and got good grades. Knowledge was power, if one had a plan to use that information. To further expand his power, he joined a gang and quickly rose up in the ranks. He soon became a leader, having overthrown the previous one and claimed dominance. Some gangs were looking to take him down, but they soon fell and the spoils went to the victor.

After graduating high school, he joined the army at the age of eighteen. From there he met people such as Alan Gado, Yuji Ohgami, and Maarku Krueger. While he was a rookie, he showed ample knowledge of physical combat, firearms, and planning out strategies on how to defeat enemy nations. During his six months on his tour, he noticed the twenty-eight year old Gado transform into a lion zoanthrope. He was captivated by that power, seeing the veteran mercenary plow through enemy lines without breaking a sweat.

A year later his unit was stationed in England, he had met a British nineteen-year old woman named Jenny Burtory. While he wasn't smitten by her, he admired the blonde-haired student's intellect. Taking her out and allowing her to meet his comrade-in-arms. Noticing that she and Gado were smitten by each other, he did not stop them. It was from there the two were in a relationship, and out of that a baby girl was born into the form of Jane Gado. Unfortunately that happiness was short lived as Jenny couldn't let her parents know she gave birth to a baby and Gado was about to leave England. Overhearing him to offer to take the baby, he had followed the blonde man to a hidden village. That village was one of the places Obadiah and his friends had stayed in one of their travels. He knew where the location of where Jane was, and he saw the potential of a young girl he could control.

Soon another year passed, as Obadiah became obsessed with the power of zoanthropes. He had asked Gado about it, but the man was withdrawn about wanting to share that knowledge. The twenty-year old mercenary was determined to get him to open up, only getting an answer that power corrupts people and to walk away from the path he was on. Obadiah became bitter at those words, and decided to convince others to join him in his cause for the zoanthrope power.

Obadiah caused a ruckus, along with the others who pretended they were under fire. The prodigal soldier and his followers were determined to go AWOL and head back to the United States. However, he had ditched them and escaped his military duties. Going so far as to lay low, he decided to attend college. During those four years, he finally earned a business degree. Using the money he had earned, he started the Tylon Corporation at the age of twenty-four.

As four years passed, Obadiah's company became a booming success world wide. However, there were rumors of his dirty deals with shady people. Knowing he would be brought in for abandoning his comrade-in-arms, he had a team of specialists to hack their system and erase everything. Even though people couldn't pin anything on him with evidence, the powerful businessman could not be touched. He continued to have a secret team of scientists research the history of zoanthropes, and he had people kidnapped so they he could see what triggered the transformation itself. Having kidnapped Jenny by his former comrade-in-arms, Maarku Krueger, he experimented on her and wondered if she had the ability to turn into one. Through a freak accident, her ability to age was halted and this instantly caught the twenty-eight year old Obadiah's attention. Even though it cost Jenny her humanity, she would never grow old.

He wanted to replicate the process, but Jenny escaped. However, he was able to retain that data and had a team of scientists ready for a special project. Thinking it was time to gain the power of a zoanthrope, his body was pumped full of chemicals and the procedure artificially enhanced his body. Becoming a creature of unknown species, he was labeled as a 'gargoyle'. Finding the name suitable, he accepted it because the appearance and strength gave him power.

Then he remembered Jane, and figured she'd be an interesting specimen to study. Giving orders to Maarku to attack the village, the Hawaiian soldier led a unit to find the child and killed anyone who stood in their way. Gado was able to save the last remaining survivor before Maarku and his unit escaped. Being thwarted again, this annoyed Obadiah. Maarku's status as an undercover agent needed to be maintained no matter what the cost.

As another four years passed, Obadiah had listened to Maarku's progress reports on Shina. Instantly becoming how capable she was to wield a weapon and show the capacity to wipe out a single platoon, he ordered his top soldier to kidnap her. However, Gado was in the way again and battled Maarku in a bloody death match. Once again, the veteran mercenary got in his way of obtaining the ultimate soldier. One of his old business associates, Jason Atlas, discovered Obadiah's plan to create brainwashed beast soldiers and sell them to military nations. The malicious businessman had tricked Jason into taking out a loan, and used that money to buy off the technology Jason had. Thus his corporations' and his own needs for the cybernetics were finally his and Atlas International was looking to go into bankruptcy. He ordered his company to have Clint and Maarku rig the car with an explosive, with both Jason and his wife were killed in a car accident. Then Yuji's combat unit stumbled upon his secret as well, having Maarku and Clint bring him to a private location. He dealt with the man himself, using his 'gargoyle' form to crush the man without any effort.

Soon a year passed, as one of his elite-assassins named Fox kidnapped a nine-year old girl named Uriko Nonomura. She was put through vigorous experiments by his top scientist, Hajime Busuzima, and had turned into a humanoid woman. While her power was immense, her true form was that of a were-chimera and held even more power. Hearing rumors that Gado was apart of a small group of zoanthropes that rebelled against his organization. They had put a stop to his plans, losing his base of operations in South America and everything about his company was exposed to the world.

The thirty-three year old man evaded the media, police, and the public eye. Forced to fake his death, he took to the streets and was forced to blend in. It infuriated him because everything he had built from the bottom was ruined because of a mercenary and his rag-team team of rebels. Remembering a certain eighteen-year old male owed him a favor, he had dropped in on Slade. Hearing the news of the terrible things he did, Slade was ready to end his life. However, Obadiah blackmailed him and reminding him of his debt to the fallen CEO. Giving Slade a list to eliminate the 'dirty rats' from Tylon, he created a group and used his off-shore accounts to fund the Night Brigade. He wanted to weed out anyone who looked to expose him.

Slade would be the front man, leading a group of zoanthropes that acted as vigilantes. They were to kill every single one of his ex-employees, those that have outlived their usefulness off the map. It was a dirty job, and he could take advantage of Slade's disdain for crime. He had Busuzima be the group's scientist, and gave the operative that were core members zoanthrope forms.

Having operating for three years, Obadiah was forced to stay in a room. He didn't like the idea of being in one place, but he invented gadgets and equipment for the team. Slade would present it to the group, helping them track down and kill the bad guys. Knowing the time for his presence to be shown was coming soon, his gold eyes were filled with fiery rage and determination. It was inevitable that he would face Gado, this time ready to take down the lion zoanthrope.

Soon the elevator reached the top, the doors opened and he stepped out in front of an abandoned shipyard. He was informed that Slade was told by Fox that he had encountered his former friend, and it was only in due time Gado would arrive in New York. Feeling the fresh air brush against his dark skin, he sighed with content. "Ah, it feels good to feel the air again."

…

Elsewhere, Elsa had her back up against the wall. Fox starting to sure his seductive side, placing both hands on the wall. Jade green eyes looking at the twenty-five year old male, she began to sweat and was nervous. She was the Queen of the Streets, fiercely independent and hard-as-nails. Showing signs that her life might end, a large lump into her throat formed and breathed heavy.

His face an inch away from the young Afro-Brazilian's, Fox was determined to get her to break. Hating what he did to Elsa made him feel guilty, but he wanted answers and wanted them now. Seeing the lump in her throat, he leaned forward and licked it playfully. "Tell me, who else is in the group?"

Feeling herself be touched by his tongue, she shuddered under his touch. Slade's suspicion of the British fox was true, that he had some secret agenda. "I don't like where this is going."

"I'll stop if you give me answers." Fox said, using a sing-song voice. Pressing his slender-athletic frame into Elsa's voluptuous physique, he started rubbing against her. He couldn't help himself, teasing the young girl was amusing but in a playful torturous way.

Gaining some leverage, Elsa kept her serious gaze on Fox. Putting her sharp nails against his abdomen, she looked at him seriously. "Keep this up, and I'll gut you."

Seeing the seriousness in her expression, he dropped the flirting façade. Putting his mouth to her neck again, he opened it and showed his sharp canine teeth. "You don't have the stomach for it. I can see it in your eyes."

Fox was right and she didn't have the guts to kill. All she did was beat the tar out of criminals, and left them there to feel their own pain. Plus her hand was shaky, lowering it to the side of her body. "The operatives are Clint Marcus and Maarku Krueger."

He pulled back and looked at her, remembering those three in the Tylon Corporation. If memory served right, he only saw the older Hawaiian male doing drills with the lower level grunts. Also he remembered Clint all too well, the silver-haired twenty-seven year old back then was a grunt as well who did 'clean-up' jobs.

"… Elsa, you have to leave… Those people you mentioned, they use to be apart of the Tylon Corporation" Fox said, seeing the young woman slum her shoulders.

"I know about the Tylon Corporation all too well." Elsa narrowed her eyes at him, her jade green eyes filled with bitterness. She was taken off the streets of Brazil by people from the corporation, and had taken her when she was fifteen-years old.

Fox placed a hand on her shoulder, looking at her with a serious expression on his face and compassion in his eyes. "Honey, I can tell by your body language you've been hurt."

Elsa looked at him sharply, hissing at him and slowly backed away. "Like you care?! I've gotten a chance to read about you 'Fox', or do you prefer Hans?" She started to talk in an angry tone in her voice. "You're supposed to be this narcissistic psychopath, the most ruthless assassin who doesn't care about anyone but himself! So why take an interest in me? Am I some 'sap' you can easily manipulate like the others?!"

Fox placed both hands on Elsa's shoulders, taking a firm hold of her. "Fine, I'll admit that I did plan on manipulating you." He confessed, his blue eyes meeting the fiery jade ones. "I think when Slade found you, he saw a young girl who he could manipulate and exploit for his own gain. He isn't a 'benevolent man'. He's an amoral sociopath who wants revenge! The people he's having you kill are from Tylon! You're a good kid Elsa, and I think what Slade is selling you is complete bull!"

Elsa grits her teeth, taking Fox's hands and pushed him to the wall. "I don't care!" She yelled, tears in her eyes. The raven-blonde streaked scorpion had known about Obadiah's plan. It was wrong to take out people she hardly knew. How could she turn back and pretend this never happen?! "I can't just 'turn around' like you did. Slade treated me like family the day he found me. My 'family' back where I came from, back in Brazil… They don't care. I wasn't going to let them see me the way I was, this 'freak' that Tylon turned me into. Yet Slade found me, and gave me a fresh start. And I bet you never cared about the 'woman' you killed, the same one Alfred mentioned. You're… half-brother, the one that you were tempted to kill."

Fox remembered that moment where he broke down on the inside, similar to how he killed his mother. However, the frost-haired youth was able to get through to him. "When I killed my mother, I was overcome with guilt." He explained as he closed his eyes, fighting back his tears. "I guess you can say 'Fox' died that night, and Hans was 'reborn' to be given a second chance. When I laid low it wasn't a picnic. I always had to keep my guard up, wondering who to trust or if I'd fit in. Those three years were my own personal hell. Then you and Alfred came along in my lives. When both you presented opportunities to me… I wanted to take my brother's offer, but in order to gain your trust I needed to join Night Brigade so I could figure you guys out."

"What did you figure out?" The Afro-Brazilian asked and she had her fists clenched when she heard Fox spoke about his true intentions.

"That this 'zoanthrope vigilante' operation is just a sham, as you and your 'friends' are blindly following a man who makes false promises." Fox spoke the cold hard facts to Elsa, seeing the tense look in her face. "In the end you'll all be taken down when he shows his true colors; a petty man who wants revenge. Leaving his followers in the dust, and maybe might just kill them to tie up loose ends. The only reason I 'joined' was because something in my mind doesn't want me to see the world suffer from the wrath of justice-obsessed brat."

Elsa's grip on Fox tightened, that tense look on her face was now filled with tears. The fox zoanthrope had spoken the truth, and she almost wanted to believe him. Her heart ached badly, and started to feel her knees go weak. "And you planned on using me? Because of my crush on you, so you could get me to tell you everything and cut the cord when you stopped finding me useful?" She asked. A hint of being hurt in her tone, feeling betrayed all over again. However, she felt two arms wrap around her and felt her cheek pressed to his slim body.

Fox held Elsa tightly, not wanting her to cry. "Listen, I didn't plan on exploiting your crush on me. I already knew you had feelings for me." The older man said, lifting her chin and could feel tears of his own form in his eyes. "For many years I've been alone. Then when you and Alfred came, I wanted to revert back to my old ways to kill you two and keep the life I had so badly."

Elsa looked at Fox, seeing the façade that belonged to the older zoanthrope break piece by piece.

"But I saw in his eyes that he cared about me, and in appearance I smacked that offer away. I felt horrible for what I did." The blonde pretty boy continued on, feeling tears form in his eyes. "And when you kissed me… I never felt anyone feel that way about me. I'll admit, I told myself I never wanted to have relationships because I was afraid of being hurt or harm the people around me. However, I'm tired of missing those chances and taking a dive…"

Feeling her lips being claimed, the scorpion zoanthrope was taken by surprised. She had every urge to push him off of her, but she gave in. Whatever hold Fox had on her, she melted into his kiss and returned it. "When I saw you transform into a fox, you looked beautiful."

Fox gasped lightly, was surprised by the young girl's sudden compliment. He had always considered the canine form he took to be ugly. His blue eyes were staring straight into Elsa's eyes. "What did you say?" He asked, knowing he wasn't deaf but wanting to hear it from her lips.

"Your fox form, it has a form of grace to it and it brings out your own inner beauty." Elsa took both of the older man's hands and held them into her own.

His eyes softened as tears formed, showing a genuine smile and wiped them away. "Thank you and I've never heard anyone say that to me." He said, feeling himself open up for the first time and felt like he started to trust someone other than him.

"I want to make this work between us." Elsa said, not wanting to let go. "It's still new to me, being in a relationship. But I want you to make things right between you and your brother along the way as well."

Elsa knew she'd be taken a huge risk, keeping Fox's secret from everyone. However, the more she thought about it, she wanted to start over. It would mean betraying the Night Brigade, but it was for all a good cause.

Upon hearing the alarms were going off, both of them were shocked by the sound of Slade's voice. Shocked that he would say such things, and that the base would self-destruct didn't give them much time.

Elsa's jade eyes were filled with anger and hurt that Slade would say such things. It was like she couldn't have nice things in her life, and her trust in him was shattered. "Why is he saying these things…? It's like he lost his mind!"

Seeing her eyes well up with tears, Fox figured Slade was a good person deep down. To hear him say he would take them down, those were words to break Elsa's guard down, and now it seemed that it was becoming a reality. Taking her hand, they made a mad dash out of the training room and looked for any escape routes. _'If he's within the area, I'm going to find that jerk and kill him!'_ He thought with a serious intent on ripping the blonde American to pieces.

…

Busuzima was not just only in his laboratory, but sitting at his desk in front of a computer. Having placed hidden spy cameras all over the Night Brigade's base, New York City, and every where around the world gave him secrets. Juicy secrets with forbidden details, to which he could use, manipulate, and bend to his own will.

' _Oh Hansy, you are such a naughty fox. I shall keep your betrayal a secret.'_ He thought in his mind, his beady eyes shifting over to Jet's apartment. Seeing Slade being there, he snickered in amusement. _'Yet this is my favorite 'soap opera'. Slade is debating whether to join his best friend and those annoying rebels, or continue to stick with my boss' ever oh so 'false promise' of a zoanthrope utopia. I'd say have him join the winning team, as I originally intended, and it seems to be working for the little birdy.'_

Hearing the doors to his lab he opened, the chameleon zoanthrope didn't care who saw his secrets. In fact, he would need one of the Night Brigade operatives for his cause. Spinning his chair around, his eyes met the angry look upon Clint's face. "What troubles you Clint?"

"What troubles me? I'll tell you what troubles me! Maarku somehow found out I killed Cathy!" Clint snapped in annoyance, about to rant on about his troubles but noticed the computer screen and what it displayed. "What is that?! And don't play stupid with me!"

Busuzima let a sinister chuckle escape, licking his lips with amusement. "I think it's time I let you in a dark secret." He explained as his eyes focused on the spider zoanthrope. "I'm not loyal to our leader, for I have my own agenda in mind."

Clint dangerously walked over to Busuzima, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and forced him to look at him. "Tell me why I shouldn't report you?" He asked, wanting to have a good reason to cut loose. Ever since he was given that assignment to rough up Stun, his life began to spiral out of control and he wanted any way to make it stop.

"Because I plan on creating my own group… one that involves zoanthrope supremacy." Busuzima explained with pride, going to the keyboard and pressed a key on the pad to show Slade was with Gado and his resistance group. For the first time, Slade felt happy and enjoyed being around the others.

Clint watched the recording, shocked that this whole operation was just a scheme. His face was left dry with shock, similar to how Cathy said those mean words to him.

"I also needed to convince 'Cathy' to break up with you." Busuzima added, seeing the lavender eyes on him. "She's one of my many operatives who act as my eyes and ears, to look upon the outside world while I tinker around the lab with my experiments. Also I showed Maarku a private camera that showed you killing Cathy."

"You're a manipulative coward who is afraid to get his hands dirty." Clint said, putting his hands around the reptilian scientist's neck and began to squeeze the life out of him. "I had something I wanted, something that some people have… Not a 'happy ending', but devotion and compassion. You and your 'science' can take a swan dive off the Brooklyn Bridge and drown for all I care."

The alarms in his lab were flashing red, sirens blazing and the sound of Slade's voice popped up. This left Clint to be unfazed, and Busuzima struggled to get out of the spider's grip. As much as he wanted to play along, he needed to get out.

Busuzima could feel Clint put pressure onto his neck, knowing he'd need a good reason to have the arachnid join his cause. "What if I said my goal for zoanthrope dominance was for real?" He managed to squeak out, seeing the lavender eyes still glare death at him. "Think about it, Slade is going to take us down if he finds out who we truly are. The ship is already starting to show signs of cracks, everyone is making secret allegiances, and before you know it we'll be sinking down the ocean similar to the Titanic… If you join me and Maarku, we won't have to sink in said ship."

Clint loosened his grip, remembering the words Cathy said were still fresh in his mind. "Are you sure about this?

Busuzima felt the strong grip loosened, rubbing his neck. "Yes, I'm for real about. I swear I'll let you commit as many violent acts as you want." He managed to breathe and looked at Clint.

"So if I stick with you… I won't get burnt from our boss' obsession with 'revenge'?" Clint asked.

"You have my word." Busuzima said, glaring slightly at the silver-haired young man and smirked. "Oh, Clint, one more thing," He grabbed the other man by the collar of his shirt. Tossing him to the other side of his lab, his strength was immense.

Clint was surprised by the sudden grab, his back hitting the wall and looked at Busuzima. Watching the scientist transform into a humanoid chameleon up close, it sent shivers down his spine. All those sharp teeth, and those moving eyes made the spider zoanthrope fight for his life.

Busuzima bit down onto Clint's shoulder, causing him to scream. When he decided it was enough, he pulled back and turned back into a human. "If you ever threaten me like that again," He spoke in a deathly serious tone, placing a foot onto the arachnid operative's shoulder. "I promise I will add spiders to my diet." He began to make his point clear, opening his eyes with a crazed predator-like glare and a sadistic grin wide and long.

"Alright, alright, you made your point doc! I'll do whatever you say!" Clint shouted, feeling the pressure on his injured shoulder loosen up. He was shocked at how powerful the green-haired zoanthrope really was. Obviously he and the chameleon zoanthrope were out of Obadiah's league of pure strength, but when pushed came to shove Busuzima showed he had the strength to play dirty. Also, he got to see the mad scientist's eccentric and comical mask slip away, to see the deranged sadistic monster that enjoyed bringing pain to others.

Busuzima used his long tongue to lips the blood off his lips, a satisfied grin on his face. "Now clean yourself up and get out."

Clint scattered out of Busuzima's lab as quickly as he could. Clutching his shoulder, he transformed into his zoanthrope form once outside. Feeling the healing factor kick in, he leaned against the wall. _'I need to get out fast... And when I do, I'm going to eat Slade alive.'_ He concluded in his mind. All of the things Busuzima said started to sink into his head. If what he said was true, then he needed to be on the right side and that meant siding with a deranged scientist who had the right goals in mind.

When Clint was out of sight, Busuzima made a run for it with a briefcase in his hand. It contained his laptop, blood work, and data he collected would be useful in his upcoming project to create an army of his own. _'It wasn't easy, but mimicking Slade's voice and setting the bomb on a recorded time was worth it.'_ He thought in his mind, making it to an escape pod. As soon he was in and it took off, he watched the underwater base explode. Breathing a sigh of relief, he leaned back into the seat and cackling with glee like the maniacal genius he was. The pay off was well worth it, and the 'unfortunate death' he had planned was going to bear fruit. Slade's team of operatives would come after him with vengeance and destroy him where he stood. 

…

Now this was a very good start of the third arc, focusing on the villains. I had fun opening up people like Fox, Elsa, Clint, Busuzima, and Obadiah. It really shows how far their emotional mask begins to slip, and we get to see the real person behind the façade. ^^


	8. Chapter 8: Recovery

**Chapter 8**

 **Recovery**

It was official that the Night Brigade headquarters was destroyed, the four main operatives getting out. Yet the recruits they scouted out were not to be heard from. What looked like to be an orca from peaking it's head out into the ocean, Maarku swam towards the surface. He hated to admit it, but he had to begrudgingly thank Busuzima for granting him this zoanthrope form. The ability to swim underwater was certainly a unique ability.

Upon seeing two figures, he instantly recognized Elsa and the other being Fox. Now there was a sight for swore eyes. He and the small team consisting of himself and Clint, they were tasked to do the 'dirty work' by cleaning the city of any remaining Tylon factions that were deemed weak. Busuzima's role was to keep them informed, while the two were out patrolling. He knew Clint was going to have a field day when he saw Fox, and the mere sight of the two mouthing at each other would amuse him.

Elsa turned her head, jade green eyes focused on the sight of Maarku. She recognized the orca zoanthrope the minute he stepped out of water. Not thrilling to see him alive, the street fighter did have her suspicions as to why he and Clint didn't report back to her. "How come you didn't report back to me when you got back to base, and where is Clint?"

Stopping in his steps, he changed back into a human. It annoyed him that in his zoanthrope form, he couldn't speak properly except in growls and grunts. He tried speaking, but it was a humiliating attempt to try and just give up. "Thanks for your concern kid." He answered, evading the question. "As for Clint, the guy's on his own."

Elsa narrowed her gaze on him, not liking the attitude he was displaying. She was about to retort back, but something else popped out of the water as well. It was one of the Night Brigade's escape pods, and Clint came out in his spider zoanthrope form upon the hatch opening.

Making a jump and landing on solid ground, he was fully healed and gingerly rubbed his shoulder as he reverted to being human. That byte from Busuzima left a mark on him, but he was glad to have that rapid healing factor. ' _Finally, thought I'd never make it out.'_

Seeing Maarku and Elsa left a burning desire to see them both dead. He frowned, he had hoped both would have drowned but he guessed lady luck was against him. "So Maarku, how did you escape?"

Maarku suddenly had a cocky grin on his face, as Clint was thinking he thought he could get rid of him that easily. "I used my zoanthrope form's form to swim. Use your brain, which is if spiders have one." He insulted the silver-haired operative. "Then again, your brain is usually filled with finding ways to kill someone."

Clint knew he was getting his butt kicked physically and mentally, and he needed to change it up. If Busuzima was going to offer him a position within this 'group' he bragged about, he better make sure he stayed alive. "Real cute, I…" His voice trailed off, his lavender eyes catching the sight of Fox, his train of focus broken and snarled. "You, what are you doing here?!"

Fox was mentally caught by surprise by Clint's sudden viciousness. The covered-assassin usually made wise cracks and mutters when he worked for Tylon. Yet now he saw how messed up the spider zoanthrope had become, seeing his mentality spiral downward. It reminded him of the day he killed his mother, and the golden-furred fox zoanthrope mentally broke down into hysterical laughing from the insanity. He was glad that he walked away from that life style, and was determined to see he didn't become that person again after seeing Clint as a wake up call.

The blonde male regained his train of thought, his blue eyes glued onto the two. "I believe Elsa just asked you a question." He said out loud, getting a glare from Clint.

Stalking over to the canine zoanthrope, his lavender eyes were blazing with anger. Fox had the nerve to think he could order him around. Grabbing the pink leather 'bra' the younger male wore he pulled Fox close to his face. "This isn't Tylon Fox! The roles are reserved, meaning I outrank you in the Night Brigade!" He yelled, feeling his wrist being pinched and got shoved by the female scorpion. "What are you doing?! You've got some nerve defending that scoundrel!"

"Stand down Clint, I recruited him to be apart of the team." Elsa said, standing in front of Fox and defending her new beau from the vicious sociopath. She got into a stance, ready to fight Clint if she had to.

Maarku scowled, stepping forward and looked down at Elsa. "What team Elsa?! The Night Brigade is finished, and we've got no base of operations anymore! If you ask me, this 'team' is barely holding by a thread and I don't want to be apart of it!"

"Hold on, we can still make this work!" Elsa said, knowing this was a losing battle. Slade had left the position of second-in-command on her left, despite her one year experience with the ground. It was her duty to pull this team together. "Seeing how the Night Brigade is usually worked out by rank, I use to be second-in-command and leadership should fall under me."

A laugh blurted out of Maarku's mouth and he sneered at her. "Me, follow a street rat like you, along with pretty boy there?! I don't think so! I'd rather die on the field of battle than meet my end by an incompetent twerp!"

Fox crossed his arms, not letting Maarku's comment effect him. However, things were starting to spiral out of control. The only reason Elsa pretended to 'take the reigns' so that she could keep an eye on both the operatives, seeing how she was well aware of their nature. "I'd listen to her if I were you."

"Maarku's right, Slade turned his back on us when he decided to blow the base with us up inside it!" Clint said, suddenly reeling everyone in about a certain falcon zoanthrope.

Pounding his fist into his palm, Maarku suddenly remembered what Slade had said in the base and had a vicious smile on his face. "When we find the brat, I'm going to crush his head like a blueberry."

"Easier said than done, but does anyone know Slade's last name?" Fox spoke up, everyone surprised to look at him with blank expressions. "What, he told none of you his last name?"

Elsa rubbed the back of her neck, thinking that should've been important and something she was curious on. "He didn't say much about his personal life," the scorpion zoanthrope sure felt like she should know. "And where would we start? There are probably a billion people in New York City, and anyone with the name of Slade in the research database would give us a bunch of names."

"Well, I'm out." Clint spoke up, turning a heel and leaving the group. "Hey Maarku, you coming or not because we need to finish our 'discussion' of which 'reptiles' are cool."

Maarku raised an eyebrow, but got the cue of what Clint was talking about. So Busuzima approved the spider zoanthrope as well. Shrugging his shoulders, he caught up with Clint. "Sure thing, let's 'discuss' it in private."

Fox narrowed his eyes at the two. Something was up between these two and wanted to know what. Turning his head to look at Elsa, he focused on her. "Do you trust those two?" He asked once they were out of ear range.

"Of course I don't." Elsa answered, sighing inwardly. Thankfully she had their contact information in case of an emergency. Although right now, nothing was urgent except finding Slade's whereabouts. "I say our first priority is to find Slade, and make him tell us what happened."

"That's a good call, but first things first. We need some new clothes so we can burn our old ones." Fox said, seeing an amused expression on Elsa's face. He placed his hands on his hips, looking rather effeminate and had a slight smirk on his face. "I've been dying to drop the 'drag queen' look, and we can't attract attention if we look like this."

Fox was right, and if they were going to look for Slade they needed to throw him off guard. "Do you know any clothing stores in New York? Because I've been mostly busy with the recruiting, and I think the last thing we need is for our credit cards being noticed for activity if Slade is following us."

"Well, we're going to have to swindle some people in order to get some fast cash." Fox said, seeing Elsa give him a dead pan look. "Hey, you said we can't use our credit cards, and I left mine when you took me from England." He reminded the young Afro-Brazilian, wondering if he could go back to his old life once this fiasco was over.

…

Within a diner in the city, Maarku and Clint were having a meal and surprisingly Maarku knew the people in the diner. It was run by a former war-buddy he knew before passing away, and luckily he didn't catch wind of his betrayal. The eating establishment was now run by the son, and the business was booming. Now wasn't the time to focus on the history and focus on Busuzima's proposal.

Maarku drank some of his juice, putting the glass down. His copper eyes focused on Clint, knowing the spider zoanthrope wanted answers. "After I gave Jet's DNA to Busuzima, he explained to me his proposal about some zoanthrope supremacy. It sounded like it aligned with my interests so I took it."

"But he showed you what I did to Cathy?" Clint asked, having been obsessed with the woman's death that he caused. Ever since he swore never to harm any females, he crossed a line and his mentality started to spiral down.

"You're still hung up on that woman's death." Maarku shook his head, sighing as he needed to choose his words carefully. Clint's anger made him a wild card lately, and he was tempted to put him down. "Listen, you got to get over her death. She was… hot in a sense, but now you know how she feels. She hated our kind."

Clint raised an eyebrow at this, wondering if the mad scientist left out any details. It was best to keep it from Maarku for now, but they needed a strategy. "So what do we do after this blows over?"

"You mean after we kill Slade, along with Gado and his resistance?" Maarku was usually the muscle that took orders. He wasn't stupid and he had some leadership skills to a degree, but not on a level like Slade. "I suppose we lay low in New York, wait till Busuzima calls us, and then leave the city I guess."

"Speaking of that lizard, I tried calling him on my cell phone and he hasn't responded." Clint said, wondering what the chameleon zoanthrope was really up to. The more the mad scientist kept from them, it felt like he was being played.

"I know we don't agree on stuff, but this is something we both have in common." Maarku began to talk and this time he was being serious. "We both know Busuzima is a slippery guy, and we both know Elsa's probably caught onto us since Fox must've told her. After all, I sent that unit to kidnap her."

"Hold up, she was already in Tylon? I always thought Busuzima gave Elsa her scorpion form." Clint said and was astonished that there were some things he didn't know.

"Busuzima experimented on her yes, but that was three years ago when Tylon was still operational." Maarku said, having watched her get mutated into a scorpion zoanthrope from behind the scenes. However, Elsa at the time was part of the new batch and needed to be contained.

Clint leaned back against his chair, whistling lowly. Guess the world was a small place. "Speaking of our 'precious princess of the streets', what are we going to do about her and Fox? They're loose ends as well, and they obviously don't trust us." He reminded the stoic Hawaiian, thinking the pair planned to take him and Maarku out first chance they got. "It's only going to be a matter of time before they decide we're no longer needed, and we got to be the first ones to take them out."

"I say we keep things on the down low, and then we make the first strike." Maarku went over the plan with Clint, thinking it was best to keep it close to the vest and let things play out. "After all, I was apart of Gado's combat unit. I know a thing or two about guerilla warfare. They won't see what's coming to them."

…

Having finally getting back into formal attire, Fox started to feel like himself again. Deciding to ditch his leathery 'drag queen' attire, he had finally burnt his old outfit in a garbage can. Along with Elsa's Night Brigade attire, which was a good change of pace.

"Goodbye old clothes." Fox sighed with content, looking at the outfit he wore. He had to get his own hands dirty to do the dirty deeds. By that, it was in the form of pit pocketing. It wasn't an easy task, but this city was crawling with people who were either loaded or flat out broke.

Elsa's eyes looked at Fox's attire, seeing him wore a purple business jacket with a fox insignia on the back, magenta button-up shirt with a few buttons open at the top, navy blue slacks, and the shoes complemented the colors of the jacket and shirt. "I'm going to miss your 'drag queen' look."

Putting the headband out, he let his hair fall and put on some glasses with clear lenses. He let a playful smirk show on his face. "Honey please, that look screamed nineteen-ninety seven. I needed a serious update and glad you didn't give me the Night Brigade uniform you showed me."

Letting out a giggle, Fox did make a strong point. "At least I don't look like a hooker." Elsa said, the scorpion zoanthrope proud of her new look. She wore an orange blouse with black on the top half and orange on the bottom, a black choker with gold trimming, orange long-elbow length finger gloves, black pants with turquoise, and black high heels to finish it.

"Let's get something small to eat. I haven't had anything lately after the base exploded." Fox said, despite his slender physique he still made sure to follow a healthy diet. He wasn't a complete health freak, as he still reveled in eating meat every once in awhile.

As soon as they arrived at a nearby Star Bucks café, ordering some drinks and some muffins. It wasn't anything too special, but they needed something to keep the energy up. Sitting across from each other, the raven-blonde streaked haired girl gazed at Fox. She wondered what was going through his mind, but went back to her previous mindset.

"So what do we do? I mean, we have no place to stay or anyone in the city." Elsa bit her lower lip, feeling the sudden position of being leader seemed difficult. What was worse, she was stuck in the city that she didn't know and with someone she started to get to know.

Fox saw the worry in the young girl's eyes, taking her hand and rubbed it. "It'll be alright. I know things look tough, but it'll work out." He promised with a smile. Knowing it seemed hopeless, he wanted to try and keep the young woman's hopes up.

"I'm telling you, something isn't right." A voice spoke up, basically a pair of two familiar men sitting behind both Elsa and Fox. Tony was having a conversation with Greg, feeling this plan with Slade was a bad idea from the start. Also, he got a feeling that the falcon zoanthrope would lead Jet and his friends to trouble. Even though Jet was young, he looked after him like he was a younger brother to him. "Something about Slade leaves a bad feeling in my stomach."

"Oh Tony, you're overreacting." Greg laughed in good nature, thinking his new friend was overreacting. He didn't know Slade, but by looking at him he seemed to be a nice young man. "Maybe it's the coffee you drank that gives you a bad feeling in your stomach."

Tony made a face out of embarrassment, groaning inwardly. There was no putting down this guy's mood, was there? The gorilla zoanthrope may have been soft on the inside, but he sure had one strong spirit. "I know a guy who knows things, and he looked up Slade's company. Atlas International declared bankruptcy the day Slade inherited it after his parents died. The old man took out a huge loan, but got swindled. Long story short, Tylon Corporation takes over. I bet the company took the loan, and combined it with their stocks to buy out Atlas International. That was three years ago, but now Slade has full control of it now after the downfall."

Elsa turned around, overhearing the conversation between the two men. Did she hear it right? Slade's last name was Atlas and his company was bought out by the Tylon Corporation before it's downfall? "Did you hear that Hans? We got our lead."

"Oh yeah, I heard it long and clear." Fox said, narrowing his eyes at the two. He instantly recognized Greg, being one of the zoanthropes that participated in the raid that took down and exposed Tylon for what it was.

Greg was suddenly quiet, hearing the name of the company that had fallen three years ago. Then his eyes caught two people standing up, walking over to them and the gorilla zoanthrope looked at them. His eyes studied Fox, taking a deep breathe. "Hello Hans."

"Gregory, it's been a long time." Fox said, keeping a calm tone in his voice. Obviously the muscular American wasn't as stupid as he looked. Nonetheless, he wasn't going to cause any trouble but he really wanted to get some answers if he had to use violence. He kept that option on the side for now, knowing there were people around them.

"I see you've changed. Not physically, but on the inside as well… I take it you're no longer a man who seeks out trouble." Greg went into detail, keeping a calm composure. He had surprised Fox, seeing the man read him like a book. "You and your friend don't need to do this… It's best to walk away while you still can."

"Cut the chit chat." Elsa said sharply and then looked at Tony, her eyes on the man and narrowed them at him. "Tell us where Slade and his company are."

Tony took out a card, putting it on the table and crossed his arms. "Go ahead, take it." He said, shocking Elsa that he would comply so easily. Seeing her touch it, he placed his hand on her hand. "Just know this, if you plan on harming Jet's friend, you better be ready."

"Why are you defending him? Slade I mean." Elsa asked, demanding to know why a guy who knew about Slade saying he didn't like him. It was confusing to her and wanted a better clarification of his words.

"I don't like the guy because he's not being honest with himself." Tony began to explain, being serious and took off his dark glasses. He looked at Elsa, keeping his eyes glued on her. He could tell she was hurt by something Slade did, but he knew revenge wasn't the answer. "Not my point, but my main reason is if you do go through it… You won't come out the same."

Fox listened to Tony's words and started to think about the whole thing. Was getting back at Slade worth it? No, they wanted answers and he would make sure Elsa didn't do something she'd regret. He saw the look in her eyes, like she was prepared to follow through with it but seemed hesitant to do so.

Elsa pulled her hand out of the older man's grip, then heard her cell phone vibrating and took it out. Seeing Slade was calling her, she accepted the call. "Slade, is everything okay?"

" _No, I'm badly injured and I think I may have a concussion."_ He spoke over the phone, groaning in extreme pain. _"I was taking a girl out to lunch, but I got ambushed by some jerk that's looking to snatch her purse. There three blocks away from a place called Tiffany's diner… Send someone over to save her…Hurry!"_

Elsa's face started to falter in an anime style, wondering how Slade could be taken off guard so easily. If it was a trap, she wasn't going to fall for it. "I'll send Maarku and Clint over to take care of it."

Hanging up on her end, she dialed Clint's number and waited for him to pick up. "Clint, where are you and Maarku at right now?"

" _We're at Tiffany's Diner having some food. What's up?"_

"There's a purse snatcher that knocked Slade out, and the girl he was taking out is being chased. They're three blocks away from where you are." Elsa instructed, being sharp and to the point. She didn't care what happened to Clint and Maarku in their mission. She knew where Clint worked, and she was going to make him pay with his life. "Let's go Fox… We're heading to Atlas Industries."

Fox reluctantly nodded his head, not knowing where this was going to lead. Looking at Greg and Tony, he nodded his head out of respect. "Do not try and stop us."

Tony waved his hand, watching the two leave and started to call Slade on his cell phone. "Hey Slade, one of the Night Brigade goons is coming your way. So be ready."

" _Thanks Tony, I know you have mixed feelings about me and this plan, but I reassure you it will work. How did you know about my… secret?"_

"I studied your body language and the way you explained your group was pretty obvious. The others may not know your involvement, but I do." Tony began to talk, wanting to give into the urge to strangle Slade's neck.

" _Once this is over, I'll tell them the truth and the plan will work."_

"It better work. Other wise if it doesn't… I'll tell Jet everything." Tony spoke in a deathly serious tone and hung up. He wanted to tell Jet so badly, not wanting things to play out on this dangerous plan. It was dangerous in general, but the idea of a 'purse snatcher' was silly.

"Do not worry Tony… your friend will be okay." Greg said, placing a hand on Tony's shoulder and pat him carefully.

"I appreciate the support Greg, but this is way too risky." Tony said, casting his head downwards. Putting his dark glasses on, he did not want others to read his emotions. While he was a man of many trades, his one true agenda was to look out for Jet. He was the best thing to happen to him and if he lost his best friend… He promised to make Slade pay.

…

Yeah, I decided to make a different chapter 8. However, I won't go into details about it because I finally got what I have down now! It was a lot to think of, but the pay off was totally worth it. The conclusion and it's details will be explained on how chapters 8 and 9 synch up with each other. ^^


	9. Chapter 9: Setting the Trap

**Chapter 9**

 **Setting the Trap**

 _Earlier…_

Back at Jet's apartment the next morning, Jet had called in Tony to bring some coffee and refreshments for his guests. It had been awhile since he saw his manager, so he deserved to see him in case if anything bad happened to him. As the forty-year old man showed up, a familiar face from the past had showed up as well.

"Hope you guys don't mind if I brought some company." Tony said, carrying a box of donuts and bagels. "He insisted on giving me a helping hand."

Everyone's eyes focused on a large man, very much in good physical shape and an inch taller than Gado. As the man looked upon the faces of his old friends, he couldn't help but smile.

"Gado, this is certainly a surprise!" The man in the black top hat spoke, setting the drinks on the kitchen counter and walked over to the lion zoanthrope.

Gado smiled as he brought his hand out, but ended up being used by the larger man. He made a face when he was surprised by the immense strength, but patted his zoanthrope-in-arms a pat on the back. "It's nice to see you too Gregory."

Yugo groaned in exaggeration, covering his face with embarrassment. The mental images of the ringmaster begging to be part of his show were coming back to haunt him. _'Not this guy again!'_ He inwardly frowned, but felt an elbow push into his ribs. Seeing the scolding look Alice gave him, mouthing 'be nice to him!' made the brunette boxer already scared of his girlfriend's wrath.

Alice turned her red eyes from Yugo to Greg, putting on a warm smile. "Mr. Jones, it's nice to see you!" She chirped, striding in just one step and looked up at the large male. "What brings you to New York City?"

Greg looked down at Alice, letting go of Gado and offered the young rabbit his hand. While giving hugs to his friends was something he was known for, he knew Alice was delicate in appearance. Well, not that delicate, but the gentleman inside made sure he didn't want to hurt her with his crushing hugs. "Ah Ms. Tsukagami, you've grown up to be quite a lovely young woman."

Yugo made a face, mostly with Greg's gentlemen-like manners. While Gado did treat women with respect and along with himself… the gorilla zoanthrope's approach came across as too old-fashioned. "It's Nonomura."

"Yugo's right, I'm not sure if you heard that Mitsuko adopted me after the fall of the Tylon Corporation." Alice explained to Greg, keeping him up to date on current events. "I know we've all been busy with our personal lives, but it's really nice to see you."

Greg nodded his head, and was surprised that Alice gave him a hug in return. Smiling warmly, he returned the hug and kept his grip on her gently. "I've missed that smile of yours." He said, letting Alice go and cleared his throat. "As to answer your question from before, my traveling circus and I are in town. We're all taking some personal time before the big show tonight. So I was in the area, and saw Tony here come out of the bagel shop."

"So being the helpful man that he was, he was determined to make sure I didn't struggle all the way back to my apartment with two boxes and eight drinks." Tony explained the whole thing, looking at the whole group. "I know Jet filled me in on the phone of what was going down, but I had no idea this… 'Night Brigade' was a heap of trouble."

"Not enough trouble if Greg begs me to be apart of one of his acts." Yugo uttered in a very low voice. Upon mentioning his name, the brunette looked up at the tall gorilla and shrunk back and metaphorically felt his soul leave his body.

Greg towered over Yugo, looking like he was about to pummel him for what he said. Yet a wide grin spread across his lips, letting out a hearty laugh. "Now Yugo, if it ever came to that, I'd be sick and call Alice in to see if you could substitute." He joked as he put his arm around Yugo's neck.

Yugo's cheek got smooched against Greg's large chest, tapping his hand on the bigger male's forearm. "You're… choking me!"

"Tony is right." A voice spoke up, everyone turning their attention to Slade. The blonde businessman had been rather quiet this whole time. Not feeling right about what the Night Brigade was doing, he started to question the cause now. "These Night Brigade people are trouble… What if they caught the wrong person one day, an innocent human or zoanthrope, and killed them without a second thought. I'm starting to think they would think twice about who they would pick off."

Gado was intrigued by Slade's choice of words, his blue eye focusing on the younger male. "I think I know where what you're saying, but clarify it to everyone."

Slade looked at Gado, amazed that the man allowed him to speak willingly. "What if they start thinking that criminals aren't enough? They could start thinking of minor offenders: jaywalkers, litterbugs, people who pick-pocket, and every minor crime that's not worth booking a minor-offender in the system… They would hurt that individual, over something no small when it's something big in their minds."

Tony was also interested of how Slade spoke those words, looking at the other male across the room. "You look very familiar. Haven't I seen your picture in a business magazine before?"

Slade looked at Tony, silver eyes meeting with the man's brown ones when he took off his dark glasses. He felt himself mentally shrink back, thinking he was figured out. "My name is Slade Atlas. I run a corporation called Atlas International."

Tony snapped his finger, a smile crossing his lips. "That's it! Now I know why I had a hard time placing your figure! You posed in the front of your building for the 'Most Honorable Man' award when you donated money to the deaf children's charity."

"Slade and I are also live long friends. We've known each other since our childhood, and had each others' back since elementary school." Jet explained to the group, giving them the history of their friendship.

Feeling his stomach turn, Slade started to feel guilty on the inside. How can he be honorable, when he was selfish in his agenda against people who were the scum of the earth and took their lives? _'How can I live with myself with such actions?'_ "Y-yeah, that's me. The captain of industry making sure everyone has a bright future."

"Now that's a pitch I can get behind. Although work on that stutter, people can't take you seriously if you falter in performance." Jet joked, knowing he meant nothing by it but he looked out for his best friend's well-being. Even though it had been three years since he and Slade saw each other, he felt like reconnecting with an old friend.

Yugo looked at Slade, knowing how he described the Night Brigade sounded like a group of control freaks. Something in the pit of his stomach told him something didn't settle right with this group. The way Gado informed him about the problem, and it felt like he was withholding information. Finally hearing Slade's choice of words, he started to wonder if this stranger's way of critical thinking was a way to cover it up.

"How do we approach the problem with the Night Brigade?" Finally putting the topic back on track, Yugo was definitely persistent to nip this problem by the butt. Their new acquaintance seemed to be a man with a plan, and figured he'd here Slade's idea.

Slade was surprised by Yugo's voice, seeing those chestnut eyes stare straight at him. He briefly saw Alice be around him, wondering what the relationship between those two were. _'I can't call my colleagues…No, these crazed people out of the blue. Hmmm, what if I told them I was held up in a business meeting, and I'm sure one of them could show up. I doubt it would work, but it's worth the risk.'_ He thought in his mind, coming to a conclusion. "Well, we could have someone 'pretend' to be a purse snatcher. We just need someone to play the part, and…"

Yugo looked at him raising an eyebrow, but then that little voice inside his head spoke up and a 'light bulb' pinged inside his head. "We need someone to play the part of the damsel in distress!"

Shina instantly held her hands up, not going to be apart of this hair-brained scheme. "I'm not playing a girly-girl for this part." She spoke up.

Jenny was intrigued by her daughter's response, a playful smirk crossing her lips. "What's the manner darling? Afraid to show you're softer side." She teased the young girl.

Hearing the words coming from the secret-ops agent, Shina had a brief shocked look on her face and growled. "Watch it you bimbo! You're lucky I don't come over there and mess up your face." She said.

"Now settle ladies, there's no reason to start a fight." Gado said, mentally groaning he had to prevent a 'cat fight' from getting out of hand. These two with each other in the room were like two chemicals that didn't react together properly. Also the last thing he needed was the two women he loved to be caught up in this danger.

Alice groaned in annoyance, bringing a hand to her throat. "Ahem! I'll play the part." She said, everyone looking at her with surprise and confusion. With the way everyone was acting, she huffs her cheeks. "Look, this is going to drag on and I don't want it to. And no one talk me out of it either. I can handle the risk of one of those guys in the area, but if one of them doesn't recognize me we'll be lucky to at least interrogate one of them."

Yugo smiled, scratching the back of his head. "She does make an excellent point." He said, pride in his eyes. Whenever Alice took charge, she knew when to put her foot down. Especially that rabbit's foot can be dangerous on the other side of the end by smacked in the head hard. "Now who plays the purse snatcher?"

…

 _Now…_

"How the heck did I get stuck with rooftop duty with you?" Yugo whined as he huffs his cheeks in a childish manner.

Back in the kitchen, Gado's group ended up drawing straws of who would be the purse snatcher. Tony counted himself out since the whole idea was crazy. Greg offered to do it since he looked the part, but he was a softy on the inside and he came off as enthusiastic in pretty much everything. The group came down to five males now.

Slade got the longest straw, meaning he would act the part as the 'purse snatcher'. It was his plan to begin with, and he was able to play a convincing act. So the plan was set, as three teams with two people would take rooftop duties to keep an eye out for someone suspicious that came in Slade and Alice's direction.

Still, something about the approach of zoanthrope vigilantes started to make Yugo think about Gado's reports on them and thinking Alice's intuition of him keeping secrets was starting to show. _'Why do I get a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach about the Night Brigade? Maybe I'm overreacting. Ever since Gado mentioned them I've been on edge lately and that's not me.'_

"It's not exactly the kind of plan I'd go with." Gado muttered, not liking the approach to this plan as well. Yet, it was simple and easy. However, there was a lot riding on this operation and no slip ups were allowed. "However, we're finally getting a shot at this group so keep your eyes peeled." He said, turning away and had his phone in his hand. Doing a little research, he started to look up Slade's name. _'What exactly are you hiding Slade?'_

…

Jenny found this scheme to be amusing, and wondered why she agreed to rooftop duty. Part of her wanted to toy with both Clint and Maarku, but she also wanted revenge for the large Hawaiian man for dragging her away from her life and allowed Tylon's scientists to experiment on her. "Let's hope those two are careful."

"Agreed, last thing we need is a disaster on our hands." Alfred agreed, looking at Jenny and surprised he hadn't spoken a word. "Are you feeling okay? I mean emotionally and mentally."

Jenny chuckled inwardly and smiled, looking at Alfred and thought it was kind of him to check in on her. "I'm good, just wondering if this plan will work."

"If it doesn't work out, we could always get Yugo to play the part." Alfred said, earning a giggle from Jenny and she pointed to his left.

Jenny thought of something, remembering the incident back in England. She wasn't going to be direct about it, but she figured breaking the ice with the frost haired agent would help him open up more. "I noticed you like to be around with me and Gado. Not that I don't mind the company, but wouldn't you want to hang out with people your age instead of a couple of 'old fossils' like us?" She lightly joked with a sensual smile, but she would like an answer to her question.

Getting a chuckle out of the joke, his blue eyes met with Jenny's. "Well, I told you before I do like being around my fellow agents in MI: 6, but… I don't usually partake in their antics. They do understand the missions they are given, but they're too 'Gung-ho' for my tastes." He answered, showing a weak smile and knew it was a poor excuse.

Alfred's team was all too well-known for shooting first, and asking questions later. She could see why he preferred to be away from them. He was an easy-going person with a kind soul, but there had to be more to him. "I see, that's a reason but I said I want to know why you like hanging with me and Gado." She repeated herself.

"I… I never knew my real parents." Alfred got into the details, casting his head downwards. "The director of MI: 6 took me in when no one else did, and I owe him my life for that. He can sometimes be so cold and indifferent of how I feel or how things operate in the dangerous missions we do. Gado and surprisingly you have a different approach… You both have an understanding of your duties to your country without asking questions. However, when you aren't on the job you're both caring, show compassion, and genuine in helping other people by reaching out to them like parents should."

"Alfred, I'm flattered you view me and Gado as parental figures." Jenny said as she showed a kind smile to him. "However, the director is your father and he's done a lot to help raise and guide you to be the best agent in MI: 6."

"I know I want to say you're right, but you're not." Alfred said, biting his lower lip. "My adoptive father discovered my zoanthrope abilities when I was thirteen-years old. He helped train me and better myself. I was doing fine until I saw the sight of blood. Just the look or smell of it sent me into a frenzy. My fear of blood stems back from my childhood. I was in a bad camping accident when I was seven-years old. While I was running, my arm got caught by a friend's knife he was showing. I got a long gash on my right arm, and hyperventilated that I almost stopped breathing. Thankfully my arm was properly taken care of, but the director looked at me with a cold look on his face. I knew I shouldn't have run yet he didn't show concern and was ashamed of me being weak."

Jenny saw the tears well up in Alfred's eyes, offering him her handkerchief. She knew the director of MI: 6 was a distant man at best, but she had no idea he that cold towards Alfred.

Wiping the tears from his eyes, he took a deep breathe. "When he wants me to get answers out of a person, he uses the sight of blood to get me to transform and use 'scare tactics' into making our enemies' to answer the questions. I do have control over my zoanthrope side, but anytime I see or get scared at the mere exposure of blood that it triggers something inside my beast form and it takes over. After it's over, I blackout and have no recollection of what happened."

She clenched her hand into a fist that one of her sharp fingernails dripped out blood. Upon seeing it, she quickly had her free hand to grab the handkerchief from Alfred and wrapped it around her hand. Hearing Alfred's story made her sympathize with the British shark's fear and how he was being treated. Knowing what let up to the fight with Elsa on the streets, she knew what caused Alfred to trigger into turning into a great white shark. "The way you describe it, the director is solely focused on the mission and not his fellow agents all except for you." She summarized what she had heard, while keeping her covered hand behind her back.

"I'm MI: 6's secret weapon as he puts it." Alfred said, knowing it was the bitter thought.

"Darling, he's taking advantage of you because of your powers." Jenny said as her untouched hand on his shoulder. Similar to how Tylon took advantage of zoanthropes' free will, it was like the director was looking to keep Alfred to himself and use him to intimidate his enemies. "Haven't you told him or any of the higher ups about this?"

"You don't think I've tried? I keep filing reports, set up meetings, or have discussions about it. They refused and declined in terms lacking evidence!" Alfred said, throwing his hands up in frustration. Normally he'd never lose his cool, but having his temper bubble up to the surface caught the bat zoanthrope's attention. He took a deep breathe, calming down. "It's like someone's paying the director or the director is paying the higher ups to force me to stay at MI: 6."

Jenny looked at Alfred, sensing the frustration he was feeling. Putting an arm around him, she rubbed his back to help sooth him. "I'll have Gado look into it." She reassured Alfred, kissing his cheek out of affection. "For now, stay focused on the mission. We'll deal with one crisis at a time."

Alfred smiled back at Jenny, feeling a bit better after opening up to her. She dug deep into his mind, bringing out that he was hemophobic. Hopefully with Gado's help, he could maybe transfer his services elsewhere or maybe help the two in problems they haven't gotten to due to correct situations such as the Night Brigade.

The British blonde model knew that abusing a zoanthrope's power against their will was unjust. She would personally look into the situation herself. Wanting to tell Alfred previously hired-work was that they required doing the wrong things for the right reasons. However, she didn't want to push it after thinking maybe someone from Tylon wanted Alfred and the director of MI: 6 refused to hand him over for selfish reasons. _'It sickens me that people outside of Tylon would use zoanthropes for their own bidding. I may have to tell Gado about this, but knowing him he wouldn't want me to put my nose in any sensitive information from well guarded organizations.'_ She concluded, putting her thoughts about it aside for now and put her focus back on the mission.

…

Alice was in the alley, probably dressed in the skimpiest outfit in the form of a short pink dress, high heels, her hair down, and all pampered. She started having second thoughts, not about being attacked or the plan itself in general. Okay, maybe a little because she volunteered out of the blue. Plus she wasn't used to dressing like this, and felt a little naked with her legs fully exposed and her back being bare.

' _I swear if I hear Yugo howl I'm going to deck him!'_

Upon hearing those said thoughts, she heard a howl and picked up a blunt object. Throwing it up in the air, she aimed it to where Yugo was and she could've sworn he heard him yelp when he dodged it. She heard the howl again, seeing it was from the stream coming out of the vents on the ground. _'Oh, now I feel bad!'_

"Don't worry, you didn't hit him." Slade appeared, all dressed up in black with the jacket, shirt, dark glasses, fingerless gloves, and jeans. Plus he wore a black wig with an exaggerated hairstyle. "Gado told me over the ear piece you missed Yugo by that much. But he gave Yugo his binoculars and… from what I heard he seems to be rather focused."

Alice sighed with relief and glad she didn't hit Yugo. However, that disappeared when her boyfriend had a serious expression on his face. It seemed that this Night Brigade stuff was getting to him, or he was being overprotective of her with Slade around her. To show that she was paying attention, she turned to show a smile and waved at the brunette to see him smile. "You sure this will work?"

"Of course, everything is all set." Slade said, placing a hand on her shoulder and looked at her. Having called Elsa, he made up the details of a girl he was taking out to lunch was being harmed. Someone 'caught him off guard' and wasn't feeling too well in the head. Faking a concussion, he heard a long pause from the scorpion zoanthrope and finally heard she would send Clint and Maarku his way. Pulling out a switch blade from his jacket, he flipped the blade and got into position.

Alice pressed herself up against the wall, feeling a tint of pink on her cheeks. With Slade's hand onto the side of her face and being close to her, it looked like they were being intimate. Sensing his body temperature close to her own, she breathed heavy and looked through the dark glasses to see those silver eyes.

Slade brought the blade to Alice's face, looking serious all of a sudden and let a 'cocky grin' cross his lips. If he wanted to, he could play a convincing thief. "Okay pretty lady, just hand over the purse and no one gets hurt." He said in a Brooklyn accent, bringing his face close to her face and the hand that was on the wall to cups the side of Alice's cheek. _'Wow, she's really warm and…her skin is so soft'_

The rabbit zoanthrope felt her mouth go dry, feeling the older man this close to her. Feeling her blood pressure speed up, she started to feel warm around him. Seeing Slade raise an eyebrow, she mentally scolded herself she had her line as well. _'Come on Alice get your head in the game!'_ She felt embarrassed now in forgetting her part. Digging deep into her zoanthrope's inner cuteness, she let a soft whimper escape from her lips. "Please, take w-whatever you want, just don't h-hurt me!" She let out a soft cry.

Upon sensing two strong forces nearby, Maarku and Clint were behind the two. Turning to give a sideways glance, Slade looked at the two of his associates. _'Now the trap is set.'_ He smiled inwardly, but was prepared to fight if he had to. "So, what can I do for your gentlemen?"

Alice looked at the two operatives, and she merely glared at them. So these two were apart of the Night Brigade and hunted down the people from the Tylon Corporation. _'I know those people from Tylon deserve the pain that they put us through,_ " She thought in her mind, but rationalized with herself here and now. _'But they were people too, and I'm sure any of them had families that loved or cared about.'_

"How about you put that knife down and let that woman go." Maarku firmly said, keeping his stance calm and steady. Yet he remained ready to charge at the guy if it came down to it.

"What if I don't want to?" Slade asked, leaning closer to Alice's face. To further sell his 'slimy appearance', he pressed his lips into the rabbit zoanthrope's lips and kissed her hard.

Being caught off guard by the kiss, her red eyes widened in surprise. Feeling the blonde man pull back, she wondered if he really had a crush on her or if it was just part of the act. She started to lean towards the lather, knowing she'd have to let Slade down easy and prevent Yugo from wringing his neck.

"Well, let's say we'll be painting the walls red." Clint spoke up, pulling down his mask and pulled his visor up. He wasn't feeling like his chatty self, so he immediately transformed into his spider form.

Alice's body remained calm, not breaking her character. However, she was surprised to see the form of a spider zoanthrope. Seeing the way Clint's expression matched his psychotic mood, she was prepared to defend herself and give him a smack down.

Slade felt chills from the way Clint was speaking. Normally he'd wear his mask to have his opponents be confused of what his expressions were, and use quips to get under their skin. This side of him was sardonic and downright cynical. _'I know Clint's always been messed up, but the look in his eyes…He looks like he's ready to kill, and I can't risk Alice getting caught in the crossfire.'_

…

Sensing the force of the two Night Brigade operatives, Gado instantly recognized Maarku. What was worse, Yugo had left the minute these guys showed up and started rushing out from the top floor to the bottom. Thankfully he didn't witness Slade kissing Alice, but the veteran mercenary had been the eye witness of it. Nevertheless, they had to get down there quick and help the two.

On one of the different buildings, Jet clenched the edge of the rooftop and looked down at the orca zoanthrope. His gaze turned to Shina, blue eyes focused on her. "Shina, do you love me?"

Shina looked at him with surprised confusion, wondering where this was coming come. "Where did this come up all of a sudden?" She asked.

Cutting her off, Jet wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her deeply. Pulling away, he looked at her as she was caught by surprise from the sudden kiss. "And do you trust me?"

"Yes, I do love you. And I trust you." Shina answered. She watched her boyfriend looking down at the bottom. Confused at what he was about to do, she placed a hand on his strong shoulder. "What are you going to do?"

Jet got on the ledge, looking back at Shina with a smile on his face. "Promise you won't get mad."

Shina watched him lean forward, rushing to the ledge and watched him do a swan dive. Many thoughts were running her head and her head was facing downwards.

"I'm going to kill him." She muttered in a low breathe, and raised her head to have a pissed off expression on her face. "I'm going to kill that fucking daredevil! I'll kill him, yell at him for doing the most stupidest stunt he's ever pulled, and kick his hide all the way back to Pittsburgh!"

…

Maarku kept his arms crossed, watching his arachnid partner walk towards the black-clad thief. Something in his mind wasn't feeling this was right. _'This is too easy. Why would a purse snatcher give Slade a hard time?'_ He wondered and his copper eyes widened at the sudden realization. _'He did set a trap for us! That backstabbing brat's going to pay with his life!'_

"Belly Flop!"

Hearing the sound of Jet's voice, Maarku saw a shadow cast over him and looked up where the voice came from. His eyes widened in a comical way, yelling in shock. He didn't have room to escape, as he was body slammed by a large 7'0" humanoid T-Rex that was on him. It caused a giant crater to form, leaving a hefty impact.

Landing on the large Hawaiian zoanthrope, Jet just let a satisfied grin show on his face as he returned to human. "That's your sticking a knife in my shoulder!" Now sitting on Maarku, he pinned the ex-soldier. "Not so tough now, are we?"

Clint turned around, the blood lust in his eight eyes being replaced with anger. Feeling a cross punch hit him across the face as he lost his zoanthrope form, going back to being human and caused him to turn around a few times. Stumbling a bit and placed a hand on the wall, he turned around and saw it was the purse snatcher. "I don't know what your role is in this, but you just made a big mistake."

Alice stepped forward, narrowing her eyes at Clint. "You're biggest mistake was coming in blind, but the bigger one was you and your friend harming other humans and zoanthropes."

Maarku let a weak laugh escape, causing him to be looked upon by the three. "You… You really have no idea whose pulling the strings, do you?"

Slade looked at Maarku, feeling like his cover was about to be blown. However, it was best to keep his mouth shut and let things play out. Last thing he wanted was to lose his new friends and have them know he was apart of the Night Brigade.

"You already lost, so why bother delaying the inevitable?" Jet asked, keeping his weight and pressure on Maarku. Last thing he needed was to battle the orca zoanthrope. He wasn't worried that his enemy was in no position to make any threats, but he kept his eye on Clint just in case if he decided to pull anything funny.

Maarku just chuckled, but choked when Jet pushed his weight onto him. "Clint, finish the job and get out of here."

Clint nodded his head, shooting out a strand of wire and caught Slade pulling him over. Turning the man's arm to a certain angle, he used the blade that was held by Slade to the blonde man's throat. "Now don't any ideas of playing the hero."

Slade was amused by Clint's attempt to hold him hostage, knowing he could get out of this easily. "Clint was it?" He asked, pretending that he was someone that never met the spider operative before. "For someone who's strong, you obviously weren't prepared. Then again, I'm surprise none of your teeth feel out."

The lavender eyes glared at Slade, growling at him lowly. "Shut up or I'll kill you."

"Then do it already, I'm already tired of your voice, face, and the way you dress." Slade began to get into the twenty-seven year old zoanthrope's head, noticing that even the smallest of things seemed to rattle Clint now. Giving Alice a sideways glance, he winked at her. "Because from my mind, I'm starting to think you're copying Spider-Man and you could be sued for copyright infringement."

Alice saw an opening, using her chance to tip toe behind the arachnid and maybe save Slade. He was taking a big gamble here, and she didn't want him risking his life for her.

Causing Clint to snarl, he was really starting to lose his patience. Upon losing his edge, he felt a finger tap his shoulder and turned his head. Feeling a foot stump his own foot, his grip on Slade became loose and yelled in pain.

Alice took that chance to morph into a humanoid rabbit, red eyes focused on Clint. Upon hearing him laugh, she placed her hands on her hips and had an annoyed look on her face.

"I don't believe this! So the 'cute girl' is actually a walking a giant 'stuffed bunny'," Clint snickered, which bursts into loud laughter as his arms held his sides. Never had he seen a zoanthrope as overly cute in the form of a rabbit. After all the stress he was feeling, he finally cracked and it seemed all the negativity in his life was going down the drain.

The rabbit zoanthrope felt her eyebrow twitch, an anime vein next to her forehead, and bringing her hand to her other one and cracked her knuckles. _'Oh, he is so dead!'_

Maarku was astonished that Clint's laughter would end up being his downfall. Gritting his teeth, he covered his face with his hand and growled. It was embarrassing enough he had been caught off guard by Jet, but now his partner was losing it in front of this petite woman.

"Oh no wait, I have so much more! Jessica Rabbit! Lucky rabbit's foot! The Easter Bunny! The Nesquick Bunny! The Energizer Bunny! Bugs Bunny!" Clint laughed into hysterics, but his laughter died down when he saw that Alice glared death at him. "What's up Doc?"

Oh, now it was official. Clint just got on her bad side and in response she head butts him. Not twisting his joints, but 'reshaped' the arachnid's body into a ball. Using her feet to kick him up in the air, she started to use him as a 'hacky sack' and flipping into the air she kicked him like one of those professional soccer players that kicked the ball sending Clint flying straight into the brick wall. Also he looked like he was positioned like a bug on a windshield and his hand twitched.

Upon reverting to her human form, Alice glared death at Clint. "Ever use any rabbit references again, and I'll make sure to use a giant fly swatter to smack you!" She exclaimed, her gaze focused on Slade and Jet next. "That includes both of you as well!"

Jet held his hands up in defense, knowing Alice was riled up and caught up in the moment that got her in that mood. He looked at the silver-haired operative on the wall. "We're going to need a giant spatula to literally pry him off the wall."

"And an interrogation room to get these two to talk." Slade added, knowing this group would beat a lot of answers out of these two. However, things would be getting hairy with his presence still involved.

Hidden from everyone's sights in the alley, a man in a long light-gray trench coat had caught the action near a window. Not wanting to make his presence felt just yet, he stuck to the background and smirked. _'I must say, Slade's plan had some mild amusement.'_ He thought in his mind, leaning against the frame. Feeling the presence of other zoanthropes coming by, he closes the blinds and let out a chuckle. Obadiah knew exactly where Gado and the others were going, and he would look forward to the reunion.

…

I decided to end the chapter on a humorous note, deciding to save some of the dark stuff for the next chapter. If anything I have no regrets adding a lot of infused humor to the characters. I'm glad I brought in Greg, even if he isn't officially part of the group he is a welcomed addition to see where he has been. :) Also I laughed when I decided to have Yugo correct Greg on Alice's last name, and I've been saving the bunny references for Alice since day one. XD This I have no regrets on as well!


	10. Chapter 10: Violent Impulses

**Chapter 10**

 **Violent Impulses**

Thankfully the whole ordeal was over, as all the teams arrived. Shina wanted to get two things off on her chest. As she walked towards Jet, who was still sitting on Maarku, punched him hard in the shoulder.

"Ow! Shina, what was that for?!" Jet exclaimed, knowing he worried Shina half too death.

"You jumped off a building to body slam a man, and didn't think about the consequences of whether you died or not!" Shina yelled at him, her icy blue eyes had fury written all over them.

Maarku laughed weakly, and was still conscious even after the seismic body slam. "Man, you really pissed the leopard off now, didn't you?" He said to Jet.

Shina glared at Maarku, still can't believe he was talking. "Shut it Krueger!" She growled, seeing he shut up with the furious expression on her face. Then she turned around to see her old man look at her with a curious look.

"What did he mean by 'leopard' Jane?" Gado asked, wondering where Maarku would get such an idea.

Jet gulped and started fiddling with his thumbs. Seeing the look Gado was giving them, the T-Rex zoanthrope finally caved in. "Shina transformed into a leopard zoanthrope, and she took Maarku head on!" He confessed, seeing the death glare Shina was giving him. "He was going to find out eventually! And he looks like he wants to pound someone with the look he was given us."

Shina groaned in frustration, her eyes on her foster father. "Maarku was about to cream Jet, so I used the moves you taught me and I came out on top."

Gado was shocked by this revelation. He didn't know his daughter held her own against his former comrade-in-arms, and that she did it all by herself. Walking over to her, he wrapped his arms around her tightly and held her in his arms. He was extremely proud, not for Shina being a zoanthrope but also proving she had what it took to be resourceful.

Shina was surprised by the sudden embrace, being half-embarrassed and half-glad at her father's pride. "Dad, people are watching." She muttered, returning the hug and patted his broad back.

"I don't care, I'm happy you're maturing into a strong young woman." Gado said to her, running a hand through the fringes of her blonde hair.

Slade looked upon the moment of affection with the Gado family. The moment reminded him of his dad and him before he and his mother passed away. He wanted to be a businessman just like his father when he was like him. Knowing Jason was there in spirit, he wished he were physically here. His silver eyes saw Yugo, running up to Alice and a hint of jealousy entered his mind.

"Ally, are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?" Yugo asked with his hands on the petite violet haired woman's shoulders. When he saw Maarku and Clint in the alley, the first thought was to fight these guys and protect Alice. He didn't want to lose her the way he lost his father, and it would break both Uriko and Mitsuko's hearts if something bad happened to her.

Alice smiled sweetly at Yugo, breathing out a tiny sigh. She could handle her own, having taken down Clint without breaking a sweat. The way her boyfriend was acting showed he was concerned for her safety, and thought it was sweet. However, she wondered if telling Yugo that Slade kissed her was a good idea? It was best to let things cool off for now.

"I'm fine Yugo. That silver-haired guy yapped about was bunny references." Alice said, an annoyed look on her face when she motioned to the spider zoanthrope on the wall.

Yugo looked at Clint, cringing at the sight of him on the wall like that. "This is why I stay off your bad side." He let a grin show on his face, managing to get the uneasiness in his mind. Seeing Alice kick that spider sociopath's butt was good enough for him. Alice and Kenji were the best things in his life, and didn't want to give them up for anything. His gaze turned to Slade, his chestnut eyes focused on the blonde American. "I want to thank you, for protecting Alice."

Slade looked at Yugo with a surprised look on his face. "It was nothing… Alice would've done the same for me." He said, feeling a ping of guilt enter his mind. First he was jealous of the wolf zoanthrope, and now he thanked him. The falcon zoanthrope felt like he didn't deserve his kindness, but he was also grateful he didn't find out about him kissing Alice.

Alfred was next to Jenny, and then turned his gaze to both of the Night Brigade operatives. They both had blood on them, feeling his body shake violently. _'Please, not now! I can't lose it in front of my friends!'_ He thought in his mind, his teeth changing shape and jaw line widening.

Jenny looked at Alfred, seeing he was turning into that shark zoanthrope again. "Alfred, stay in control. You're stronger than you think you are." She said, trying to sooth him and could see his body expand.

"I'm trying… It's so painful!" Alfred said, holding his sides. His fingers started to expand into web-like claws and his eyes starting to change as well, becoming a complete black void. He started feeling the mind of the shark within him slowly taking over, feeling like he was losing his humanity.

"Alfred, close your eyes." Jenny said, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Forget about the mere thought or sight of blood. Focus on my voice, and try changing back into human."

Alfred wanted to ask why, but he decided anything was worth a try. Taking a deep breathe, he focused on Jenny's voice and thought about her. He thought of her and Gado, how they had treated him like a person and not a weapon. Feeling the predator within his mind slowly vanish, his physical transformation started to slowly revert him back to human.

Jenny was amazed that it actually worked, smiling proudly. She knew it was a plan based on chance, but Alfred succeeded. "Keep your eyes closed for now." She said, not wanting him to have another episode.

"What's going on here?" Gado spoke up, curious as to what Jenny was doing and why Alfred had his eyes closed. As he looked at Alfred, he saw him panting slightly and looked at Jenny. "Jenny, what happened to him?"

"He had a problem with his transformation." Jenny began to explain, but felt Alfred's hand on her shoulder. He would do the explaining, and felt that hand move away from her shoulder.

"Gado, I should've told you this from the start." Alfred began to talk, placing a hand now on the muscular French lion's shoulder. "I'm hemophobic."

"Fear of blood." Gado spoke, knowing what the phobia meant, but wondered how Alfred was afraid of the sight of blood. "Do tell me."

"I won't go into a long story, but I get frightened at the sight or smell of blood." The British agent began to explain, opening up to Gado about his fear. "I lose control whenever my zoanthrope side takes over, and my baser instincts in that form take over. I saw blood on both those operatives, and I started to lose it. However, Jenny stepped in and helped me to focus not on my fear, but the sound of her voice to calm me down and revert back to being human."

Gado placed his own hand on Alfred's, knowing that the young man wasn't alone. "It's okay, we captured two dangerous men." He said and looked at Jenny. If Alfred had gotten out of control, their efforts would've been in vain. Nonetheless, Slade's plan worked and that was good enough for him. Turning his eyes onto Clint and Maarku, he narrowed his gaze at them and felt those old wounds reopen at the mere sight of his old friend. _'How do we get these two to talk?'_ He wondered in his mind.

"I know it seems sudden, but I do know of a location to interrogate them." Slade spoke, knowing he would he helping the group even further. If he had exposed his connections to the Night Brigade, he would lose their trust. However, if he could somehow get the others to make Maarku and Clint talk, he would be in the clear.

…

Elsa and Fox were right in front of Atlas International, gazing upon the appearance of the building. Having both grown up on the streets, they were somewhat envious of Slade's upbringing. Going through their minds, he was probably some spoiled rich brat with a silver spoon in his mouth.

Fox may have grown up in a rough upbringing, from an orphan child to warped-minded assassin for a multinational company. Yet he somehow managed to pick himself up after the night he killed his mother, and earned a living as a secretary under a false name.

Elsa narrowed her eyes at the front of the building and going through her mind that Slade had it easy when growing up. Still, the fact that he ruined her life and blew up the headquarters she only knew as a home. Maybe it was time to return the favor, but some rational thoughts came up. People worked here at this technological company, helping those that couldn't help themselves.

Both of them did research on the company, reading the origin of the company in general. What started out as a small repair shop back in the nineteen-forty-five' after World War Two, called Atlas Repairs, got praised for it's care and craftsmanship in repairing shoes. The owner was also an inventor, slowly gaining recognition for his work. By nineteen-seventy three, the owner had a son by the name of Jason Atlas.

Similar to the owner, the young man showed an aptitude for making inventions as well. The highly praised repair stored, slowly transformed into a company by the mid-eighties. Then ten years later in nineteen-ninety-five, Slade was born during that year. It was the only company to rival the multinational company Tylon Corporation. The two companies had a fierce rivalry, one fighting to bring a better future while the other was controversy in it's shady dealings. The CEO and his wife made a tragic accident when their car exploded. Slade inherited the bankrupt company, and having no choice reached out to the Tylon Corporation to buy it from going into closure.

"Sounds like our fearless captain made a deal with the devil himself." Fox said out loud, hoping he could gain Elsa's attention. He started to worry for her mental health, her once soft personality becoming battle hardened.

"Deal or no deal, I think we deserve some answers." Elsa said in a firm tone, both of her fists clenched. The eighteen-year old scorpion started walking towards the company's doors, pushing both of them she made her way to the receptionist's desk. "Excuse me, but I'd like to make an appointment with Mr. Atlas."

The male receptionist looked up, his eyes widened in surprise. Upon seeing the appearance of Elsa, he was taken off guard. "L-let me just check my book." He said, getting it out and muttering as he looked through the logs in terms of scheduling. "Ah, here we go! Mr. Atlas has an opening for… Yes, three-thirty. Would you like me to put your name in?"

"Yes, my name is Elsa Gonzalez. Tell him it's… important, like you." Elsa said, winking at the receptionist in a seductive manner but kept her cute streak to it. Walking away from the desk, she looked at Fox who had an amused expression on his face.

Fox couldn't help but chuckle, thinking it was all too cute. "I see someone's picked up a habit from me." He stated.

"I set up an appointment for us, and I needed to throw in an 'added bonus' to seal the deal." Elsa logically spoke, running her hands through her hair to get her long bangs out of her ears. All they had to do was play the waiting game, and Slade would come to them.

…

Upon arriving at the back of Atlas International, Gado's group was able to contain Maarku and Clint without any problems whatsoever. They noticed the two were quiet, not saying a mere peak or word at all. They used a truck from Slade ordered, and surprisingly he set up in the front. He became quiet after the Night Brigade operatives were captured, and when Yugo thanked him.

Slade got out of the side, jumping off the ledge and landed on his feet. He had changed back into his business attire, his gaze upon seeing the group get out. "I'll leave you all to your own devices. I have some… meetings that require my attention." He informed the group.

Yugo was surprised by sudden announcement, figuring Slade would want to stick around and help them get the two to talk. "Are you sure? It doesn't feel right not having you here, and you did help us take down two of the Night Brigade's operatives."

"You guys came this far, I merely helped aid you in your efforts. I know the rest will be up to you." Slade let a small smile escape. He was starting to see Yugo reminded him of Jet, mentally cringing that he had to turn down being around the others without having to show the signs of being the leader of a vigilante group. Hating to be separated from such kind people, made his heart ache and it hurt that he had to keep a secret from Yugo that he kissed Alice.

Alice joined her boyfriend's side, watching Slade leave. "Where's he off to?" She asked and confused as to why her new friend wouldn't stay.

"He's got important stuff like a meeting." Yugo answered, mentally sighing. He didn't show gratitude to someone he didn't know, but the fact that Slade was a complete stranger who went out of his way to aid them was something of amazing feats in his book. While he wasn't there to protect Alice like he originally intended in the purse snatcher scheme, it was good to see a plan fall into place. "The important thing is we can finally put this Night Brigade fiasco behind us once we get those two scumbags talking and find their base."

Alice was surprised that their adventure was almost over, letting out a content sigh. Yes, once this was over they would win the fight and go back home. _'I still feel like there is a lot questions that aren't being answered, and there's more to this than just these 'vigilantes'. Gado knows something and I think Yugo is still having thoughts about those questions.'_ She concluded in her mind, but all she could do was nod her head. "Yes, I think Kenji and Uriko will be thrilled to see us back home."

"Where is Slade going?" Gado asked, catching the attention of the couple.

"He's got some meeting I guess." Yugo shrugged as his eyes were on the lion zoanthrope. "I didn't ask what it was about, so I figured it must've been important."

Gado nodded his head in understanding, heading towards Slade's direction. He wondered why their new ally didn't stick around. With the way he showed strategy and cunning, it reminded him of himself. _'Slade has an impressive skill set, although I doubt I could sit behind a desk.'_ he thought in his mind. The lion zoanthrope was a man of action, living for the thrill of battle. Also, he came across some information that was handy.

Slade was making his way to the front door, freezing in his steps as he felt the scent of a familiar feline zoanthrope. "Can I help you with something?" He asked, being direct and to the point. He didn't bother turning around, knowing full well who it was.

"Yugo informed me that you weren't going to stick around." Gado spoke up, walking towards the falcon zoanthrope. He took a deep breathe, his gaze on the younger male. "I've done some research… While I was on rooftop duty with Yugo, I did some searching on my phone and looked at the history of your company."

Slade hated how people always took long to make a point. Busuzima did it to him, using dramatic effect to explain a 'scheme' or 'idea' of what inside a person's head. "Get to the point Gado."

"Fine, you want an answer." Gado said, bringing out his phone and showed an article from three years ago. "After you inherited your father's company, you were bought out by the Tylon Corporation."

"I had no choice!" Slade exclaimed, raising his voice at the lion zoanthrope. He narrowed his eyes at him, as if he was being judged for his decision. "I made a deal with the devil, so that these people that worked for my dad, at least have a future. My dream was to go to college and expand my knowledge, but I put my goals aside to help others. It was the most painful experience, but I was happy the day those bastards were taken down and got my company back. For three years, I lived with regret by making that decision and still feel nothing but guilt for it, as it wasn't how I intended to start out as a businessman. But in the end it was my decision, and I knew in some weird twisted way it was wrong yet for the right reasons. So don't go judging a 'human' like me for making a deal with the enemy."

Gado's hand reached out to Slade, but watched him turn around and walk away. "If you want to talk about what happened, I'll still be here in this exact area." He said, leaving the offer open to the blonde businessman. "And don't think I saw you kiss Alice… You can't keep a secret from Yugo. Do the right thing before it's too late."

Slade stood there for a few seconds, walking away from Gado before Maarku and Clint were pushed out. "For someone who spends his time on the battlefield, I see you like to 'point' people in the right direction like your some general. Don't get involved in my personal business. I'd say let others live their lives because we don't need 'help' from men like you who think they know what's best."

He remained unfazed by the blonde falcon's words. Yet, he was surprised that such a young man took responsibility to put the whole weight of the company on his shoulders. Also, some of Slade's words sung deep into him. There were some things he didn't understand, and he thought about his position as a mercenary. _'The kid is right in some areas…All I've done is taking on jobs as a mercenary, just to escape my problems. I only want people to be pushed in the right direction so they don't have to suffer the consequences in the future.'_ Maybe it was time to retire because he was getting old, not from the thrill of the fight but on the field in general. He didn't know how to lead a quiet life. Jenny and Shina being around made him think what he could've had, similar to the relationship Yuji had with his son Yugo before dying at the hands of Tylon.

His silver eyes welled up with tears, wiping them away in anger. _'Who does that Gado think he is? He doesn't know the pain of losing someone you care about.'_ He thought, thinking the French mercenary tried too hard in convincing others to see things his way and 'manipulate' them into the right path. Upon entering the elevator, the doors closed and letting out a shaky breathe.

At the sudden realization, he saw Gado as a reflection of himself and bit his lower lip. A feeling of guilt overwhelmed him, getting on his knees and felt bad for the way he talked to the forty-six year old mercenary. Gado risks his life to save people, despite the dangers he faces. In some weird way, the battle-hardened yet compassionate French zoanthrope, reminded him of the way he wanted to help people but with a different approach. Now he felt sorry for what he said and he must've hurt his feelings. When the elder man offered him an open hand similar to a father, the silver-eyed American felt like he just slapped that hand away and he started to regret that action.

Jet was the last to get out, his cell phone ringing and saw that Tony was calling. He had forgotten to tell his manager that the plan was a success, and that Maarku and Clint were captured. "Tony, sorry I didn't call you sooner. The plan worked."

" _That's great Jet, but there's something I need to tell you."_ Tony sighed over the speaker, knowing the news would hit Jet hard. _"Your best friend Slade Atlas is the leader of the Night Brigade… There were two people asking for his last name. I gave them a card with Slade's company's address on it or else they'd hurt people, at least I think. I didn't catch the name of the girl, but she was with some guy named Hans. I was told by Greg that Hans is also known as Fox and used to be in the Tylon Corporation's assassination unit."_

This sudden piece of news hit the fan hard, making Jet clench his fist. It was odd how Slade explained the Night Brigade's methods, but never would he have guessed that he was the group's leader. "Thanks Tony, I appreciate you for telling me this." He said, hanging up and bit his lower lip. _'What do I do? Now that I know Slade is the leader of the Night Brigade, should I keep it a secret or tell the others?'_ He wondered inside his mind, coming to a rational decision. _'Gado deserves to know the truth, but I need to keep this information away from the others. It would break them from on the inside…And I know Shina will beat the crap out of Slade if she finds out.'_ He inwardly groaned, being put in an awkward dilemma of having to inform everyone of the truth

…

Once Slade reached the top floor, he walked out of the elevator and to the lobby. He wanted to get away from everything, with all the stress that was going through his mind. With everything that has been happening lately, it was like the life he was attempting to build was falling apart. He wanted out of the Night Brigade so badly, tempted to kill Obadiah without thinking about the consequences.

In the lobby, Elsa spotted Slade and the soft features on her face hardened. So there he was out in the open. Knowing where he arrived from, the Afro-Brazilian was determined to get answers from the blonde CEO. "We need to talk."

Stopping in his steps, he let out an annoyed groaned. Whoever it was, he was going to let that person feel his wrath. Turning his head, his silver eyes widened in surprise at the appearance of Elsa. "Come here." He said, taking her by the arm and kept her close to him. "What are you doing here? And how did you find out where I worked?" He demanded.

"We did our homework on you Slade, or should we say… Mr. Atlas." Fox spoke up, seeing those silver eyes give him that icy stare he remembered the minute he walked into the base. Only this time, Fox wasn't scared and he was ready to fight the falcon zoanthrope if he had to. "That's right, we did our homework. I bet it's nice, having a nice comfy position and on the top floor of your silvery tower."

Slade's eyes turned to Fox, letting out a growl. If this was the pretty boy's own doing, manipulating Elsa into thinking he was the bad guy, he had a lot to answer for. "What do you two want?" He asked in a low voice, not wanting people he knew to pay attention to the conversation.

"Our headquarters was set on self-destruct, and you tried to get of us by blowing it up with us inside it." Elsa began to go into detail, jade green eyes still focused on the twenty-one year old blonde. "You even spoke how we were all wild cards that needed to be put down."

"The base was blown up?" Slade asked in a surprised tone in his voice. This was all new to him, shocked that the underwater base Obadiah had installed got blown up. So many things were going through his mind, and a part of him hoped the fallen CEO of Tylon went down with it.

"Don't play innocent with us… We heard your voice on the speakers." Elsa said, not buying that Slade was playing dumb.

"I didn't blow it up, I swear!" Slade said in an agitated tone, taking out his phone and would show the proof of his schedule. "Fine, I didn't tell you I was the head of a company, but that was so I couldn't let guys like Maarku and Clint know who I actually was when I first approached them about the Night Brigade. And I couldn't tell you because I didn't want to take the risk of those two being around to know. Then I was hesitate to trust Fox because of his past as an assassin and got knows what goes inside that head of his."

"That seems reasonable." Fox would've retorted but with the way Slade was speaking he seemed to be telling the truth. There were some things he didn't know what went on within the Night Brigade, but it was time to know the truth. "Let's say out of the two of us, I did believe you, I want you to answer me this question and be honest. How did Clint and Maarku gain the ability to turn into zoanthropes?"

Slade looked at Fox, sighing as he knew he despised the man that gave him his own zoanthrope form. "I recruited a scientist that had ties to the Tylon Corporation… Hajime Busuzima." He answered, casting his head down. "He had knowledge of how to turn people into man-made zoanthropes, since he augmented himself. I… I became a zoanthrope so I could at least have the power to go up against him when the day came. Maarku and Clint were the last two to be experimented on."

Elsa tensed at that Slade would get someone from the Tylon Corporation involved, stepping forward and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "You're sick." She hissed, eyes narrowing him with hatred. She felt a hand on her shoulder, looking at Fox. "Don't tell me you're buying his story?!"

Fox sighed in defeat, nodding his head. "He's telling the truth." He said, his blue eyes turning to Slade. "Slade, you should know Busuzima can't be trusted. I may have gained my zoanthrope form from his experiments, but the way he treated humans and zoanthropes, the ones the late Bakuryu and I kidnapped… It makes me sick, and I feel guilty for not doing anything."

To hear this from Fox's mouth, it made Elsa sick to her stomach. Now that she knew what kind of person the blonde British male used to be, it made her wary at first. However, she saw that he was genuinely sorry and remembered the type of person he became.

Slade remembered when he was doing his inventory he noticed the explosives and chemicals that were taken out of the storage room. "He blew up the base. Busuzima planned this from the start, but the part that leaves me confused is how my voice…" He stopped in mid-sentence, mentally shaking his forehead. "…He must've had some recording device and used it to mimic my voice to make it sound like I was saying these things. People practically carry cell phones these days, and anything you say or do can be caught on such a device."

"You should've told me who else was in your ranks. It would've given me an idea of who to trust or kick out of the group." Elsa scolded Slade, reminding him why she was second-in-command. "It would explain why he didn't resurface and rejoined us. Now that we got one mystery solved, is there anything else we should know?"

"I do have one last question." Fox spoke up, knowing this needed to end here and now. "How did you obtain a list of Tylon's ex-employees? I know the Night Brigade had to have known there were records of the corporation before it fell to the ground."

"Mr. Atlas, there you are." One of his employees spoke up, gaining the attention of his boss. "You're one-fifteen meeting is in the boarding room waiting for you."

Slade looked confused, but remembered the mystery person he had booked for today came back in his mind. Inwardly groaning, he would have to cut the conversation short. "It was someone from the Tylon Corporation that blackmailed me." He answered, taking a deep breathe. It was his responsibility alone to make sure nobody knew about Obadiah Tylon's existence. He was wanted to be the one to take him down, if he was alive or not. "After I am done with this meeting, I'll tell you two everything." He reassured him.

Watching Slade walk away, Elsa felt herself with the lingering question of who blackmailed Slade. Still, it was best for her and Fox to relax for now. "Wait Slade, where are Clint and Maarku? I know I could care less about those two, but did you capture them?"

Slade turned around, smiling and giving her the thumbs up. He almost left this day on a good note, getting into the elevator and leaned against the wall. Knowing this day was almost coming to an end, he would tell Gado's group the truth after his meeting. Upon reaching the thirtieth floor for his meeting, he walked out of the elevator. As he made his way to the room, he opened the double doors and his eyes saw the person sitting in a chair facing away from him.

"I hope you don't mind if I made myself comfortable." The voice from the person spoke, turning around and let a cool smile show upon his face.

The last thing Slade wanted to do was see Obadiah's face here. Feeling his body shiver and tense, he yelled as he charged at the fallen businessman. After all the blackmailing and dirty deeds the evil man made him do, he was ready to cut ties with him. He didn't waste time trading words with Obadiah, sending a punch his way but was caught off guard when it was caught. _'How's his grip so strong?'_

Obadiah smirked, seeing the surprised expression on Slade's face amused him. However, the smirk faded when he became serious, yelling as he flipped Slade over his shoulder and onto the long oval table that was shattered in half. Not wasting any time, he put his foot on Slade's chest and pushed the weight on it. "Call your friends… bring them up here so that I may see them."

"What friends?" Slade mockingly asked, groaning as Obadiah pressed his foot harder onto his chest. Knowing his life could end here if no one protected him from the sudden power from this madman, he held his hands up in surrender. Reaching for his cell phone, he started dealing Jet's number. "You do realize you will lose this battle, right?"

Obadiah chuckled in amusement at Slade's choice of words, knowing the blonde man had been the one to witness his sudden display of super strength. "So you say Slade." It was the enhancements from the experiment he went through, but he wasn't going to tell anyone about this. No, it was best to let them see what everyone was in store for, and Gado certainly had a boat of secrets he would bring up to make everyone turn against him. "Not this time. It's going to be different… They'll be facing the man, no… They will all face the wrath of the beast."

…

So this is it, the long awaited showdown I've been building up. I know I wanted to add more chapters, but with the way the story was heading it almost starting to head to a conclusion. This final arc will tie everything up, and the next chapter will be the big pay off.


	11. Chapter 11: Boiling Consequences

**Chapter 11**

 **Boiling Consequences**

Yugo was with Alice, sitting in the break room that was located in the back of Slade's company. He had gotten two sodas from the vending room, trading in his money for American money so that he could spend it if he had to. The violet-haired girl had been quiet for awhile, and this concerned the brunette.

"Hey Ally, is everything okay?" He asked with his chestnut brown eyes focused on the petite woman before him.

Alice looked up, seeing the look of concern on his face. Her boyfriend was usually a cheerful outgoing person, but he seemed to be still fixated on the Night Brigade. "Yugo, I'm fine." She answered, her crimson eyes focusing on him. "It's you I should be concerned about."

It was Yugo's turn to be surprised and rubbed the back of his head. There was no point in hiding it anyway. "Yeah, I've been thinking a lot about what you said about Gado." He began to talk and sighed. "I know he's my dad's war buddy, but ever since he mentioned the Night Brigade… He's been keeping secrets. I shouldn't think about it too much, but damn it, why do I feel like he's using us?!"

Being surprised by his sudden outburst, Alice went over to his side and patted him on the shoulder. With the way he was getting angry about these 'vigilantes', it would be best not to bring up that Slade kissed her. "Yugo, it's okay… Maybe I shouldn't have let my way of thinking effect your perspective of Gado. He's a good man, and if he wants to tell us, he'll be ready when the time is right. Right now, there's a lot riding on getting these two operatives to spill their secret location."

Yugo felt Alice rub his neck with both hands, his shoulders slumming and he let out a satisfied sigh. "How is it that I ended up with a pretty lady like you?" He asked.

Alice was caught by surprise, feeling her face turn beat red and turned away with a bashful smile so Yugo wouldn't tease her. "Yugo, stop, you're making me blush!" She giggled.

Yugo was about to lean in and kiss Alice's neck, but felt the presence of another zoanthrope. Turning around to see Jet, he quickly composed himself. "Hey Jet! I didn't see you there! What's up?" He laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. He didn't want anyone to walk in, catching a peak of the affection between him and Alice. Last thing he wanted was to be teased or scolded, but the cover was pretty embarrassing.

"Nothing really, just got a lot on my mind." Jet said, pulling up a chair and sat across from the couple. Looking at the two, it reminded the motorcyclist of himself and Shina. While that image was in his head, he chuckled lightly that wasn't true. "Shina is with Gado and Jenny, using one of the rooms for interrogation. I have to say, ever since we captured both those guys, they've been rather quiet. No death threats, sardonic quips, nothing. It's like they're hiding something, but what?"

Alice looked at Jet, nothing having formally talked to him. She remembered shouting at Jet, but that was when Clint riled her up with the bunny jokes. "Speaking of 'those guys', do they have names?" She asked.

"I know one of them." Jet said, his blue eyes focusing on Alice. "His name is Maarku Krueger. I don't know if Shina or Gado told you, but he used to be an old friend of his and Yuji's back when they were on the same side. I won't go into details of what happened, since Shina told me the dark stuff out of confidentiality, but he used to work for the Tylon Corporation as one of the company's agents. She and I went up against him when he was attempting to snag a sample of my DNA."

Alice's eyes widened in surprise by this piece of news, thinking that answered one of her questions. "I've never seen him around before. Not when I was kidnapped by Tylon, or when we took down the company." She said, only remembering Fox and the late Bakuryu.

Yugo suddenly stood up, his eyes focused on Jet. "My old man was friends with that creep?!" He was surprised that Jet knew, but what ticked him off was that one of dad's war-buddies backstabbed his own father in pursuit of Tylon's cause. "How can a man like that sell out his friends? It disgusts me that people like him and the Tylon Corporation represent! The ugly side of human life!"

"Yugo, take it easy!" Jet said, holding his eyes up in defense. He didn't mean to get on the wolf zoanthrope's bad side. It shocked him that the brown-haired man had such a temper inside of him. "I thought if I'd shed some light on things, but maybe it was a bad idea."

"No Jet, it's not your fault." Alice reassured him, shaking her head at the mere notion. "It's just… We both have history with losing people we love from the Tylon Corporation. I was kidnapped as a child, and Yugo lost his father." She explained the details to the white-blue haired daredevil.

"Tylon Corporation… I hate those guys, but they did to the others is unforgiveable." Jet sighed, feeling like he could empathize with the couple since they had common ground. "I wasn't affected by the trauma. Other than being experimented on and gaining a zoanthrope form as a bonus, I didn't let those bastards take away my mind."

Yugo remembered Jet was part of Tylon's kidnapping, and was freed from their clutches. "You did mention that, but I am curious how you resisted their brainwashing?" He asked, intrigued how Jet was able to maintain his free-will and not submit to the cruel brainwashing techniques.

"I was stubborn from the beginning. All I thought about was my loved ones, and what Tylon did to them if I didn't bend to their will. So I gave them a scare whenever I transformed and was classified as 'rejected'." Jet snickered, remembering he used his T-Rex form to thrash the equipment and his tail to whack around a few guards or scientists. "I think they classified me as that so I couldn't scare them anymore."

"With the way you described it, I remember you changed into something huge." Alice commented, thinking Jet's zoanthrope physique was much bigger than Uriko's were-chimera form in terms of size and muscle density. "What exactly did you change into?"

Jet wouldn't casually transform into his giant form, so it was best to answer it. "Well, have seen the movie Jurassic Park?" He asked, seeing Alice nodding her head. Wow, he was lucky anyone remembered such a cult classic. "I take the form of T-Rex… Only I don't have tiny arms."

Yugo's chestnut eyes widened in shock, feeling his inner fan-boy took over. "Shut up!" He exclaimed, not in an angry tone like before but one with astonishment and child-like innocence. "You can transform into a dinosaur? That's pretty sick!"

"How do you think I got the drop on Maarku?" Jet grinned, thinking he got Yugo in a better mood. Even though he looked like he was bragging, he secretly wanted to steer Yugo's focus away from the Night Brigade. He seemed like a nice guy who didn't deserve to have his mind clouded by anger for what those fake vigilantes did.

Alice let out an exaggerated sigh, smiling as she shook head. She knew what Jet was trying to do, getting her beau's mind off of recent events. It was a good effort, and the part that saw Yugo's child-like enthusiasm showed admiration for him. Despite all the negativity that Tylon caused, it didn't dampen his spirits. She saw his bright spirit and her adoption into the Nonomura family to be a beacon in her life. That moment was to a halt when Jet took out his cell phone and felt the nature in the air change. _'Why do I get a bad feeling all of a sudden?'_

Jet took out his phone, seeing Slade was dialing his number and answered it. He wondered what his childhood friend was doing. "Slade, what's up?"

" _Jet, get everyone up on the thirtieth floor in the meeting room."_ Slade spoke, groaning in pain which caused the T-Rex zoanthrope's body to tense up. _"One more thing…I'm the leader of the Night Brigade, Elsa and Fox are in the lobby. They'll explain everything."_

Slade was cut off as he yelled, his cell stopped and Jet looked at the two zoanthropes stared at him. All the emotions that he saw going through their heads, having heard what they witnessed couldn't be taken back. "Slade is in trouble."

…

Back in the make shift interrogation room, Gado was staring at Maarku. The older zoanthrope leaned against the wall, wondering why his former friend wasn't putting up a friend. His gaze still fixated on the Hawaiian soldier, he looked at him with curiosity.

"Why did you throwaway your responsibilities?" Gado asked, causing Maarku to chuckle and finally got him to crack a bit.

"After all these years, that's the best question you got?" Maarku got smirked at Gado, his copper eyes gazing at him. He figured this might be his last few moments, thinking his 'old friend' deserved to know. "Fine, I'll 'amuse' you. I left you and Yuji because I was offered the 'future'. I thought it was a load of bull at first, but I saw the possibilities of the benefit. We're out their risking our necks for people unknown, which can't defend themselves… It's pathetic."

Gado fought every urge in his body to beat him up, but he kept his emotions in check. Seeing this side of Maarku, he already saw the layers of his personality peel away and started to see a selfish man.

"I won't bore you with the details and I'm not one to tell 'monologues'." Maarku just spoke, smirking at Gado as he remained calm. "Working for Tylon was the best thing to happen in my life, and I enjoyed it… And then you and your 'zoanthrope-in-arms' decided to bring down Tylon's main base of operations."

Gado had to know something else, hoping he could owe Yugo for the help he did in taking down Tylon. "If these are your 'last moments', then you don't mind if I ask what truly happened to Yuji?"

Maarku just sneered at Gado, figuring that answer wasn't worth answering. However, he was in a somewhat good mood. "After Yuji was classified as a rejected specimen, Clint and I… Well, I'll leave the details play out in your head."

Gado stood up, grabbing the table and tossing it to the side. Seeing the calm expression on Maarku's face, his hands grab the giant man's vest and lifted him up without any effort. "He was our… No, he was my friend, and took him away from his family."

Maarku cackled, seeing the look on Gado's face was priceless. "That brown-haired punk, Yugo was it? I'm glad he's not here, because he sure as hell wouldn't be thrilled about the man who killed his father… But my hands are clean on this one, so whoever killed Yuji I'm leaving that up to you."

"Then why kill your former employers?" Gado was curious how Maarku got roped into the Night Brigade, thinking he wasn't all for 'doing good'.

Maarku shrugged his shoulders, folding his hands and held them together behind his neck. "Those suits and geeks can push up daisies for all I care. Point is, I like being on the winning side. After all, anyone could have a guy like me on their team for the right price."

Gado seethed his teeth, feeling the beast within him wanting to take a stab at Maarku. That moment was interrupted when Yugo, Alice, and Jet came bursting in, seeing the looks on their faces made him calm down, but still kept his grab on the larger man. "What are you three doing here?"

"Slade is in trouble." Jet panted, his eyes landing on Maarku and narrowed at him dangerously. Seeing the Hawaiian soldier stirred him up, after what he did to Shina was nothing but horrid memories.

Yugo just stared at the large man, meeting him face to face. He didn't say anything, but his temper was boiling up inside of him. "Bring him with us. Last thing we need is an escapee."

Alice was surprised by Yugo's sudden decision, but then she remembered they had Jet on their side. So if the orca zoanthrope tried to make a clean get-away, he would be reeled back in by Jet. "I'd do what he says, unless you want to be body slammed again."

Maarku looked at Alice, then back at Jet who waved at him with a toothy grin. He grits his teeth in a comical angry anime style, sighing in defeat. "Alright, I won't pull anything 'funny'."

As the group of four steps out with Maarku, the door to the other interrogation room swung open. Clint was through out, landing face first on the solid floor. Shina pressed her boot onto the back of his head, smirking at the sociopathic spider. "We had fun with ol' eight eyes here."

"Screw you bitch! You, the blonde mannequin, and 'Big Ben' are crazy! All that bad singing from you singing Broadway songs made my ears bleed!" Clint yelled, his eyes filled with rage. Hearing foot steps come his way, he gazed up at Jet and yelped when he was lifted off by the collar of his shirt. Seeing those blue eyes burn holes into him, he just sneered. "I don't how you put up with her."

Jet normally wouldn't do this, his best friend was in danger but he had every urge to cut loose and let the T-Rex inside him take over. Instead, he opted to pull his fist back and punched Clint, giving him a black eye. "Normally I'd let Shina handle the violence, but I don't take kindly to anyone offending my leopard." He spoke up, bringing the spider's face close to his. "So I went easy on you, but if you want to push it and go for all eight black eyes…"

"Hold that thought." Gado cut Jet off, walking over to Clint. Whatever Jenny, Alfred, and Shina did to him, he seemed to be pouring his guts out. "I want to know one thing. Who killed Slade's parents?"

Clint looked at Gado, impressed that the older zoanthrope did his homework. With the situation he was in, he was in no position to fight back. "I killed Slade's parents." He answered, gagging at Jet tightened his grip and there was a strain on his voice. "I was under orders from Tylon to kill the bastard for not complying. So I rigged the car to explode, so that he and his wife got the message that Tylon doesn't take kindly to rejections."

Jet was tempted to end Clint's life, but the spider wasn't worth it. Instead, he pushed him to the ground and performed some wrestling move. He attempted to do a move Shina was caught by Gado by jumping in the air and have an elbow make contact with Clint's chest. This caused the sociopath to cough violently, thinking the 'violent impulse' inside of him was burnt out of his system.

Shina watched Gado sigh, knowing they needed to go like right now. Picking Clint up, she looked at her boyfriend with a smile. "So you did learn something from our sparring matches?" She teased him with a smirk.

"Well, I'm bound to pick up a move or two." Jet quipped, his eyes on Shina briefly before turning to Clint. He wanted to make sure him and Maarku didn't try anything funny. Last thing they needed was to have these two escape and couldn't risk leaving them alone.

…

Elsa continued to wait in the lobby, patiently waiting for her former leader to return from his meeting. She couldn't get the last answer from him out of her head. He had said someone from the Tylon Corporation blackmailed him. She wondered who was powerful enough to intimidate Slade in bending him against his will.

Fox had returned from one of the food count within the lobby. Luckily he didn't have to go looking for a food store that sold fast food. Not that he was against them, but seeing them everywhere in this city made him wonder about the peoples' health problems. "I wasn't sure what you wanted, but I figured you could use some food." He said, seeing the serious look on her face and sighed inwardly. "It's those words he said, right?"

Elsa didn't look at her blonde companion, taking the plain bagel he had offered without even looking. "I can't get it out of my head of what he said. It's anyone in that company that would have power to blackmail him that drives me up the wall."

"Don't obsess about it too much. Last thing I would want is to see a pretty face like yours in a mental institution." Fox teased her, trying to lighten the mood and got a giggle from her. "I didn't bother to check who worked for us. All those people in the company are just blanks to me."

Elsa took a deep breathe, staring at her bagel. Slade held the position of CEO, running a company that dealt with cybernetics. "Hey Fox, when you were a secretary, was there someone in charge?"

"It was mostly board members that made the decisions." Fox answered honestly, wondering what brought this up.

"I mean was there one person in charge." Elsa tried to explain, but decided to blurt it out. "Was there ever a CEO of the Tylon Corporation you worked for? The head honcho, the main boss, the 'alpha' male! There had to be someone who ran the company from behind the scenes!"

Fox looked at Elsa with surprise on his face. As his time as an assassin, he never bothered to see who gave him the orders. Like he told Elsa, all the names were blank to him as he didn't bother to keep them in his head. Now was a moment of awkward silence, wishing he could answer that. It got even more awkward when he saw a group of nine people staring at them, one of them being his younger half-brother.

Alfred looked at Fox, remembering how this was how he looked when he first met him. He knew being around him left a lot of unanswered questions, and it was right then and there he had to make things right. "Hans, it's good to see you alive and healthy."

Fox looked at Alfred, not saying anything in return. Knowing this wasn't a formal meet and greet, and it was best to keep it quick. "If you're here to 'arrest' me, I'm willing to turn myself in."

"Hold on Fox, let's hear what they have to say." Elsa said, knowing she'd turn herself in too if it came down to it. Right now she felt something else was going on.

"Slade's in trouble, he said you two would explain everything." Alice spoke up, looking at Elsa and her gaze landed on Fox. She should be angry at him, for what the former blonde psychopath represented. Ignoring every violent impulse in her body, she stepped forward and made eye contact with Elsa.

Fox stepped forward, seeing Elsa put an arm up. It was obvious she got this, but he would remain by her side if anyone tried anything funny.

"It's obvious these threads of the 'web of lies' have started to come connecting together." Elsa said, hearing a groan from Clint and she ignored it. "Slade was blackmailed by someone who worked at the Tylon Corporation and gave him a list to take out anyone who was willing to tie up loose ends. Then one of Tylon's scientists was secretly recruited used some trickery at his disposal to bring everything down. Our base is gone, the team is falling apart, and our true selves are being shown."

With the way Elsa described everything, Gado felt his body tense. "We should go now…."

…

Upon reaching the thirtieth floor, Gado pushed the double doors open to see Slade sitting there all bandaged up. Obviously whoever did this, must've been a person powerful enough to take Slade off guard. He walked over to the blonde twenty-one year old, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Slade turned his head, nodding his head weakly. "I'm fine." He grunted, moving his body in the chair so that he was comfortable. "I… I want to say I'm sorry, for what I said. You were trying to help and I felt guilty for what I said. I shouldn't have smacked your hand when you were trying to show kindness."

Gado let a small smile show, taking a deep breathe and his eyes scanned the room. Upon hearing a clap from the other side of the room, his gaze fixated at the person at the head of the table who had their chair turned away from them. "Did you do this?"

The person in turn left out a small chuckle, knowing he had sent a message. While it wasn't the Ohgami brat he had intended to target, but obviously his feat of power over Slade got Gado's attention. "I must say, it took a lot of strings to pull to get you here." He spoke, slowly turning his chair around. "It's been a long time… Alan Gado."

Jenny felt her body shiver, seeing the sight of him brought back bad memories. Out of impulse, she transformed into a bat zoanthrope and flew straight at him. Seeing the dark man jump over her, he dropped kicked her without any effort and reversed to her beast form.

The man clan in the light-gray trench coat chuckled, having made his point across as he just took down Jenny with ease. "Your friend made the mistake of coming at him head, and so did your former beau." He stated, knowing their emotions would blind them and take advantage of their confused state of mind. "Unless you want me to stop harming your loves ones, you know how this needs to go down."

Jet stepped forward, thinking this man had the nerve to gloat so easily. "How about you try handling something much bigger?"

Dodging to the side when Jet tried to tackle him, he punched the large T-Rex zoanthrope a few times and performed a sweep kick. He used the same move that Gado taught Shina, making Jet revert to his human form within seconds. "My offer still stands. Fight me one-on-one or I make your daughter's boyfriend extinct like the rest of the dinosaurs."

Shina on instinct transformed, using her claws to strike at the thirty-six year old man. Seeing how she was only able to get a small scratch in on his forehead, it ticked him off and flipped in the air to kick her.

Gado watched as this man decimated his family. It made him furious and angry. Deciding it was time to stand up, he was about to speak up when Yugo stepped in.

Yugo growled lightly, wondering who this overpowering man was. He took down Slade, then Jenny, and finally Jet despite the difference in size. Whoever he was, he seemed to know Gado quite well. "If you want to pick a fight, how about you try me?"

"No Yugo, he's too dangerous." Gado said, knowing he didn't want to lose Yuji's son as well. If he did, he could never forgive himself and the only member of the Ohgami family would be on his shoulders if he didn't stop this.

The dark man's eyes landed on Yugo, sparking with interest and beamed. Maybe he could get a crack at the wolf zoanthrope after all. "No, I want to see what he's capable of." He spoke, taking off his long trench coat to reveal himself to be covered in body-armor that was colored in silvers, reds, and blacks. "It's not often I get to face the son of a former friend… And the one who joined the raid in bringing down my company."

Yugo looked at the dark man and surprised came across his face when this man mentioned his father and the company. "Who exactly are you?"

A dark chuckle escaped from his lips, focusing on the brunette before him. So Gado hadn't told him, did he? "I see my reputation of myself hasn't caught onto you, but I did mention you being aware of my company." He went into detail, thinking it was time to goad the young man into a fight. "My name is Obadiah Tylon… I'm the person that Yuji with my own two hands."

Yugo snarled with ferocity, feeling the pent up anger inside him taking cover. As his canine features started to show, he fully transformed into a humanoid wolf. Amber eyes focused on Obadiah, his pointed ears lowered and let out a fierce growl. The animal inside him had fully taken over, lounging at the tall man.

Feeling tears form in her eyes, she failed to reach out to him. "Yugo…" Alice knew what she was afraid of. The negative emotions inside of Yugo caused by the Night Brigade, secrets from Gado, and this man claiming to be the man behind Yuji's death finally caused her beau to snap. Seeing the look in those eyes, it seemed that Yugo was lost to the power of the beast. "Yugo, don't do it!"

Not hearing her pleas, the wolf inside Yugo focused on Obadiah. Fighting on instinct, the wolf zoanthrope mimicked his human counterpart's fighting style but in a vicious manner.

Obadiah merely smiled, dodging the wolf zoanthrope's attacks without much effort. That was until the gray-furred canine jumped and performed a kick to his chest. Falling to the ground on his back, he grunted and saw the wolf about to punch him. He barely evaded the attack, and threw a punch towards the lupine creature.

Yugo caught the punch, pushing Obadiah back. Readying his claws, the first swipe was across the chest, and the final one was to the right of his cheek. Lifting his knee up, he performed a kick and the foot landed on the dark man's chest. It sent him flying, hitting a nearby wall.

Slade had just watched the feat of strength displayed by Yugo, shocked at how powerful the wolf zoanthrope was. However, that was the beast inside the brunette that displayed the full power. _'How do we snap Yugo out of this?'_ His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a groan, silver eyes gazing at Obadiah getting up. There was no way a mere human could withstand that kick. Not unless the fallen CEO was hiding something.

Maarku made a mad dash to his former boss, helping him up. "Mr. Tylon, let me take over." He said,

Obadiah slowly got up, gingerly touching his cheek and scowled. So the Ohgami kid managed to get in three lucky hits. "No, this is my fight." He firmly said, not bothering to look at Maarku.

"But sir, you are badly-"

Silence fell into the room, Obadiah roared as his muscle density, height, and power were increased. He had changed into a new form. Having light blue skin and a long mane of white hair, his features included pointed ears, sharp claws and toenails, a long tail, and wings. The armor helped him to not stretch the fabric and not be torn to shreds as well. It was not just his new six-foot eight-inch physique that came into play, but the fact that Obadiah stuck his arm all the way through Maarku's abdomen tearing a hole in the man.

Maarku stood there in shock, sputtering words incoherently. "B-boss…"

Obadiah kept his eyes on the group, tossing Maarku like a ragdoll and a loud thud was heard when the lifeless body landed.

Yugo got on all fours, making a mad dash at the 'gargoyle' zoanthrope. Feeling the punch hit his stomach, he let out a yelp. He managed to scratch at Obadiah's forearm, but ended up getting hit as well.

Obadiah walked over to Yugo, using his tail to hit the wolf zoanthrope dead on and sent him flying into a wall. Hearing the canine land on his rear, he showed a twisted smirk and displayed his sharp teeth.

Alice looked at the new form of Obadiah, fear started to make her body quake. How could this man kill someone that was loyal to him? Seeing the zoanthrope form of the CEO of Tylon, this was the real enemy behind every bad thing that happened to her, Uriko, and everyone involved with that evil company. "We have to do something… I can't lose Yugo too!" She whispered, feeling her voice crack.

Upon hearing Alice's voice, Slade looked at her. She did love Yugo, and there was no use to change her mind. As much as he admired her, her heart would break if both the beast and Obadiah's destruction on Yugo would lead to the result of the twenty-year old man's death.

Obadiah made his way over to the wreckage, looking down at Yugo. He sees the change within the young wolf, his smirk turned to a frown. So this was how Yuji's son would die, a man instead of a beast. _'Time for me to end this game, I've made my message to Gado pretty clear of what I want.'_ He concluded in his mind.

Yugo panted heavily, knowing his body was roughed up pretty badly. Barely any energy was left, knowing his end would be met swiftly by the ruthless businessman.

Another individual stepped into the fray, surprising everyone that a falcon zoanthrope had caught Obadiah's forearm. Slade used both his arms to wrap around the gargoyle's foreman, putting pressure on his legs to keep them grounded and have leverage.

"Slade, how dare you!" Obadiah spoke, his voice deep and groggy. Even in his zoanthrope form, he had the capacity to speak similar to a human. "Why would you defend that mutt?"

Slade reverted back to his human form, still maintaining the edge. However, he wanted his words to get through to Obadiah that he wasn't afraid and wouldn't be bullied by him anymore. "That 'mutt' is the only good person that ever showed kindness to me, and there are people in his life that mean the world to him!" His voice strained from the pressure of Obadiah's zoanthrope form's strength.

Obadiah could use the situation to his advantage, seeing Yugo with a partial hatred in his amber eyes. With Slade perfectly positioned in front of him. "Yugo, would you allow Slade to get away with what he did?" He asked, his new plan coming into action. "When you left the rooftop to pursue her, I saw Slade… kiss her on the lips."

Yugo's eyes widened in shock and caught off guard by such a thing. His wolf-like gaze focused intently on Slade, watching the former leader of the Night Brigade struggling to defend him.

"Do it Yugo, kill the man that pretended to be your friend!" Obadiah exclaimed, wanting Yugo to give into his anger and kill Slade in cold blood.

Alice let a shaky breathe escape, remembering the way Slade had kissed her. How could he have known about that? Unless Obadiah was in the area the whole time and hadn't noticed him watching. "Yugo, the kiss meant nothing… My heart belongs to you and no one else. You know deep down it's the truth, and that… I'm in love with you."

Yugo looked at Alice, the beast slowly subsiding and reverted back into his human form. No matter how angry he got, he could never give into killing. It wasn't in him, being a good-hearted young man with morals. If he gave in to his wolf-like instincts, Alice would not be able to see him the same way. "Ally…"

Obadiah sneered, disgusted by the display of affection and saw it as a weakness. Turning to Slade, he wondered if he could get his former 'protégé' to turn on Yugo. "Doesn't it make you jealous? Seeing Yugo get the girl, while you a young man with resources at your disposal lack a compassionate companion by your side?"

"As much as I have feelings for Alice… her heart belongs to Yugo… and… seeing those two… give me hope to see a better future play out!" Slade exclaimed, starting to feel his transformation take effect again. "I'm going to make things right by making sure you won't win!"

Obadiah felt a sudden surge of strength come from Slade, seeing him go back to his falcon form. Feeling the claws from the avian dig in, he roared in pain.

Slade watched Obadiah stumble backwards, dashing at him and punched him in the stomach repeatedly. Using his foot to stump on the gargoyle's foot, he used it as a distraction to perform an uppercut to the older zoanthrope's jaw. He even managed to knock out a tooth and the gargoyle zoanthrope landed with a thud. Reverting to his human form, he panted heavily.

Obadiah's upper body shot upwards, growling furiously by the sudden actions. "You will pay for your actions Slade!"

Gado finally got in the middle of the fight, seeing Obadiah pause and silence fell within the room. "You want to fight me, correct?" He asked, remembering Obadiah challenge. "Well… I accept your challenge. On the condition no one else interferes."

Reverting back to his human form, Obadiah slowly stood up. Gold eyes focused on Gado, he let a smirk slip in response. "Yes, and I take it you agree to my terms?"

"Yes, it will between the two of us." Gado reassured him, knowing he was taking a big gamble.

"Excellent and I will keep my promise. I will agree not to harm your loved ones, for the time being." Obadiah let out a dark chuckle as he was finally get his goal of wanting to settle the score with the lion zoanthrope.

…

Finally, the true moment I've been waiting for ever since I've started this story! XD I only have two more chapters left, and this story is almost complete. ^^


	12. Chapter 12: Full Circle

**Chapter 12**

 **Full Circle**

Obadiah and Gado stared at each other intensely, a secret showdown that had been building up for about eighteen years. The fallen CEO's gold eyes stared at the blue eye that belonged to his hated enemy. How long had he waited for this moment. Knowing the people within this building, Obadiah brought his hand up.

"This is not a proper place to have our fight." He spoke up, earning raised eyebrows from a few and some hardened glares.

"Are you trying to chicken out?" Shina breathed, slowly picking herself up. "After all the trouble to demonstrate your 'power', you choose a time to be scared."

"No Shina, he's right." Gado spoke up, halting his daughter from doing anything further. "The last thing we need is to harm innocent people in the process."

Slade looked at Gado, knowing he did make a strong point. If anyone were to die in the battle with two hardened zoanthropes, it would be on his head. Also he'd be held accountable for his employees' deaths. Property damage can be covered, but nothing is more sacred than a human life. "On the fortieth floor, there's a training facility. I use it whenever I need to train by myself."

"Then it's settled. We settle our score in the training facility." Obadiah smirked, his gaze still on Gado. There would be no distractions or interferences. How he longed to topple his rival in a fight to the death.

Jet slowly started to move his body, using his hands planted on the ground and moved upwards with his upper body hunched over. Obadiah was no slouch, displaying such raw power. He had thought his T-Rex form would've been able to handle it, but he had a lot to learn on how to use that strength. Seeing a hand in front of him, he saw Shina staring at him and accepted it.

"I can't believe he took us off guard like that." Shina muttered, helping her boyfriend up and looked at him with concern in her eyes.

Seeing the look of concern in her eyes, he smiled weakly. "You managed to get in a shot at him when you scratched his head… I got elbowed in the chest. I think I'll need to take lessons from you in utilizing my zoanthrope form."

"Yes you do, but thankfully your girlfriend can whip you into shape." The leopard grinned, teasing him and moved close to have his arm around her shoulder.

Alfred rushed over to Jenny, helping the secret-ops spy up. Seeing her take a blow like that, he felt like he should've jumped in to safe her. "You're not too hurt, are you?"

"Other than a bruised ego, I'm okay." Jenny reassured him, her eyes focused on Obadiah. To see him transform into a zoanthrope had shaken her very core. However, she did notice that he looked the same age, the day he kidnapped her when she was just twenty-eight years old. "Clearly he's modified and enhanced his body to match us. We do heal from our wounds, but I guess he found a way to quicken the process."

"Agreed, one of us should stay with Gado in case if Obadiah decides to go after us." Alfred suggested, not knowing what dirty trick the ruthless gargoyle had up his sleeve.

"I'll stay." Slade volunteered, stepping forth and his eyes were on Gado now. "I got you all into this mess, and I should at least return the favor."

Elsa looked at Slade as if he had lost his mind. Sure he was able to get in a good attack on Obadiah, but to take him on again would be suicide. "But Slade, you'll get killed!"

"She's right, after seeing the way Obadiah took down you and four others without a sweat you couldn't take him on even at his full strength." Fox said, not surprised he was defending the man that gave him the cold shoulder, but no one deserved to die anymore because of Obadiah. The man was responsible for everything, he needed to pay but how would they be able to take him down?

"Listen to these people, they have a point." Shina said. She was lucky to even get in a scratch but not a complete blow.

Jet looked at Shina, and then back at Slade. His childhood friend had been the leader this whole time under his and everyone else's noses. Knowing that he had a lot to answer for what he did. However, he knew Slade like a brother and would always be loyal. "Let Slade stay."

Shina looked at Jet with shock, then gritting her teeth in anger. "Okay, now I know you've taken a blow to the head! But you actually think this is a good idea?! What if he gets killed?"

"Shina, Slade's got a plan and I trust him." The white-blue haired American looked at his girlfriend, smiling at her and back at Slade. "I know it seems like a poor choice of words, but he would be the guy to go to if I was in a jam."

"Yugo, do you trust Slade?" Alice asked, knowing it was her boyfriend's call.

Yugo focused on Slade as well, clenching both his fists. He knew he wanted to be by Gado's side, facing his father's killer. Slade had kissed his beau took him off guard previously, but that no longer mattered. Upon hearing what the falcon zoanthrope said, those words as he defended him came from the heart and he meant every single one of them.

"I trust him for now…" Yugo replied to Alice, turning his chestnut brown eyes onto the older man. "However, if anything happens to Gado, it's on your head."

Gado looked at Maarku's lifeless body, seeing his former friend stroke down by another man faking to be a 'comrade-in-arms'. Despite how selfish the orca zoanthrope was, he still considered him a fellow soldier. "At least take Maarku's body. I don't want him to be left behind." He instructed, his gaze became intense on Obadiah. "That's two soldiers you killed that'll be on your head."

"You still consider Maarku your friend, even after I manipulated him?" Obadiah asked as he sneered, taking a pot shot at Gado's honor.

Gado let out a low growl, glaring at the gargoyle zoanthrope. There was fire behind that old king of the jungle, and he wouldn't allow the man that took him out to be mocked. "The death of a soldier is not to be mocked. No matter how much of a traitor he was, he always fought with everything he had… And you took him off guard when he offered to defend you."

Obadiah narrowed his eyes at Gado now, keeping a cool temper but didn't like the choice of words. "I will not have a lackey fight my own personal battles." He said, his tone was calm but the words came out of anger. "It was a mistake to allow my 'assassins' to fight you and your 'friends' those three years ago… Now I finally plan to correct that mistake by taking you down once and for all."

Gado didn't need to say anything else, knowing Obadiah was obsessed with ending his life. He knew he could exploit that weakness, but needed to be careful of how to approach it. "Slade, lead me and Obadiah to the training facility." He said, his eyes turning to meet with Shina and Jenny.

"You really don't plan on taking him alone, do you?" Shina asked, feeling like she should at least be apart of the action. A part of her wanted to be with Jet, but she couldn't bare the thought of losing her father. To watch her village burn was enough, but to lose her father would be too much. "At least let me back you up."

Jenny looked at Gado with concern in her eyes, but knew the man she was in love with made up his mind. "No, this is your father's fight… If we interfere, everything he fought to protect you would all be for naught."

"Since when did you care?!" Shina snapped, her gaze moving back to her father. "I have experience, and you need someone that hits hard as you to watch your back."

Gado shook his head, knowing his daughter would chew her up for this. "No, Jenny is right. If Obadiah takes you from me, it'd be on my head." He said, bringing both his arms around the blonde tomboy and hugged her tightly. "I can't bare the idea of losing you… Be with Jet."

Shina was surprised by the choice of words he used. Despite Obadiah announcing to the entire room that Jet was her boyfriend, her old man even approved of her relationship. Fighting back her tears, she reluctantly nodded her head in understanding. "You owe me a lot of answers after this fight is over." She said, turning a heel and went to join the others.

Gado watched Shina turn, knowing she'd want to be apart of the action. His gaze went onto Jenny, focusing on his former beau. "Thanks for stepping in." He said in a low voice, his features softened. "What made you decide to let me go through with it?"

Jenny let a playful, but soft sensual smile appear on her face. "Come now, you know better than that you and I put our mind to something, we won't take no for an answer." She answered in her usual tone, but her smile deceased. She did show worry, but not to a degree that she wouldn't have to back Gado down from not going through with the fight. "You already made up your mind, so I don't see a point in arguing with you."

Gado was surprised by her choice of words, but she understood him. "Jenny… I promise I'll make this up to you." He wanted to say thank you, but knowing her she'd probably tease him for being soft.

Jenny placed a hand on his cheek, looking up at his distinguished face. "Come back to me in one piece." She said, wanting to kiss him but was hesitant to. A part of her felt like she would regret on showing her true feelings if Gado died. However, she had faith that he'd win in the end.

"I will." Gado said softly, his large hand touching her delicate one. Taking it, he kissed it and smiled. Watching her also hesitate to leave, he watched her join with the group. Everyone left the room, Maarku's body being carried along the way. When there was no one else, Gado turned his focus back onto Obadiah. "You got what you wanted."

Obadiah nodded in satisfaction, now there would be on one to stop him. Everyone except for Slade, as his golden eyes landed on the young blonde. "Take us to the training facility." He ordered, watching him show the way.

Once they were out of the meeting room, all three zoanthropes went to the elevator. Slade pressed a button to the fortieth floor, and ten floors later they had arrived. Upon entering the giant room, he saw it was nothing but solid steel. Also the CEO had access to this floor, and he alone was allowed in it.

Obadiah looked around, seeing the room was very fitting of his former protégé. He approved of this setting, as it would be the room for Gado to die in. Looking at the lion zoanthrope, he started to crack his knuckles. "You know, I've been looking forward to this for a very long time."

Gado said nothing, placing a hand on his neck and waited until there was a crack. He knew Obadiah's gargoyle form was going to be hard to beat. With the ability to fly and to take in to account the edge of enhanced strength would make him have to be careful. His blue eye turned to Slade, focusing on the falcon zoanthrope. "No one can get in or out, right?"

Slade nodded his head, knowing Gado was keeping his voice low for a reason. "Correct, no one else has access to this floor but me. If anyone tries to get out, I put in fail safes security measures." He explained the details, knowing they had trapped Obadiah without him knowing it.

Gado understood, knowing this fight was a life or death battle. Even if Obadiah won, the fallen CEO wouldn't be able to escape. "So, are you ready to get this over with?"

"Aren't we in a rush for death?" Obadiah mocked the blonde French male, chuckling slightly. "Relax… I am going to savor every moment of this fight."

"After you defeat me, what do you plan to do afterwards?" Gado asked, wanting to remain cautious in case Obadiah got any ideas of attacking his family or loved ones.

"There is no plan afterwards." Obadiah answered, knowing that his fight with Gado was all that mattered to him. After spending three years underwater, he would retire from this and blend in with society. "I am done with trying to bring order to this world. It can burn for all I care. No one of us is leaving this room alive, and I don't care if I live or die in the process."

Gado was surprised by Obadiah saying such a thing, but decided to play along. "Then you want me to put you out of your misery then?"

"I'm not suicidal." Obadiah said matter-of-factly, getting into a stance. "All I want is to fight the man that brought down everything I've built hard for… I want to fight the lion that's known for his strength and cunning. I want to see who's will is stronger, mine or yours?"

So it was test of whose will was stronger. It didn't matter to Gado, but he was now more determined than ever to end this feud between them. "If that's what you prefer… Then come at me!"

Obadiah just grinned, instantly running towards Gado and leapt into the air. Pulling his fist back, his arm moved fast and impacted with the other man's fist. Being sent back a couple of steps, the dark man took a deep breathe. "Your strength hasn't deteriorated, I'm impressed. It means this fight will give me great pleasure."

Gado raised an eyebrow, but he knew what Obadiah meant. Some part of him was actually looking to make the fight go quick, but he continued to get a feel for the other man's strength. "So even with all the enhancements, you still use your own strength?"

"Of course, I barely use my zoanthrope form." Obadiah stated, meaning he was strong with or without it. The same went for Gado, meaning the two were on an even playing field. The only time he ever had to use it was his fight against Yugo. Knowing he was battling a beast that acted on instinct, it threw off of how he had estimated Yuji's son. "But enough about our feats of strength, I'm ready to resume this fight."

Seeing Obadiah get back into a stance, he got back into action. Running towards Obadiah, he threw a fist that was blocked by the young male's forearm. Grabbing onto the forearm that blocked his fist, he threw the dark man over his shoulder into the air. It would give him some breathing room and time to think of a plan.

Obadiah landed on his hands and feet, recovering from the throw. He sprinted towards Gado, throwing a roundhouse kick which was blocked. Going for the intended move, he smirked and threw a punch as he landed a blow on Gado's face. Watching him stumble a bit, he dashed in and performed a few punches and knocked the blonde French man off his feet.

Gado may have landed on his back, but he used his legs to wrap around Obadiah's ankles. Catching him off guard, he elbowed one of Obadiah's legs to put added pressure onto it. Hearing the other man yell, Gado quickly dashed backwards and kept his guard up.

Obadiah groaned in pain, thinking it was a poor move to knock Gado down. No matter, his accelerated healing kicked in and let out a shaky breathe. "Not a bad move, but I won't make the same mistake twice." He reassured the older man. Despite the accelerated healing, he couldn't get attacked constantly. It would mean his healing would not speed up like he intended and would leave him at a disadvantage.

The mercenary was slowly getting a feel for Obadiah's fighting style. Yet it wasn't the moves, but the way he had to keep his body at a certain distance. Then he remembered what Jenny said about the enhancements and modifications to Obadiah's body. Yes, his zoanthrope powers had an accelerated healing factor. He had an idea, but it was a long shot.

Obadiah was back up on his feet, seeing Gado charging at him again. Clearly he didn't get message across, but was willing to do so again. Throwing a straight punch at Gado, he watched the man dodge to the left. Feeling a powerful jab connect with his jaw, he felt the impact from the fist and a crack was heard.

Slade cringed at the mere sound of it, glad he wasn't the one on the receiving end of that punch. _'Whatever Gado's plan is, he clearly has a chance to pull one over Obadiah.'_

Gado then punched Obadiah hard in the rip cage, hearing a crack or two. Then he kneed him in the abdomen, and wrapped his strong arms around the man's upper body. Lifting him up in the air, he quickly performed a German Suplex. Hearing more cracks in the back area of Obadiah's body, the solid steel must've done the job of letting Obadiah's back hit the hard surface.

Obadiah felt his body was overwhelmed with pain. Clearly Gado found a way to exploit that weakness, and use it against him. _'I have no choice… I have to use my zoanthrope form!'_

Gado got in a few more hits, but saw the energy surrounding Obadiah. It was too late for him to react, as he was flown back. He was barely lucky to get hit by the steel wall behind him, covering his eye. Once the brightness of the flash died down, the older man saw that Obadiah had transformed into his gargoyle form.

The healing factor kicked in, but it would be awhile before he was fully healed. Slowly standing up, he turned to give Gado a sideways glance and grinned at him. "Now then… It's my turn."

Feeling his body tense, he watched the largest beast turn around quickly. Barely dodging, his eye caught sight of Obadiah punching the steel wall. Seeing the dent he made, Gado was lucky to have evaded that fist. Feeling a tail wrap around his ankles, he was caught off guard and got slammed three times like rag doll.

Obadiah just laughed with amusement, hunching down and flew into the air. He moved around, using his long tail to swing Gado around. Along the way, he used it to slam his rival into the steel wall a couple of times. "How does it feel to have it done to you?"

Gado didn't respond to Obadiah's taunt, barely focusing as his body got bruised and battered by the tail slams. After that was done, he was slammed to the ground and felt a foot pressed onto his chest. This was the same position that Slade was in, being forced to call his friends in for the confrontation with Obadiah.

The large gargoyle chuckled in amusement, having Gado right where he wanted him. "I would revel in continuing this fight, but I grow tired of it." He said in a deep growl, grinning sadistically. "It is time to put the king of the jungle out of his misery."

Feeling like this could spell the end for him, but he heard a gun shot fire within the room. Turning to where it came from, it was Slade that fired the bullet at Obadiah.

Slade held a gun to Obadiah, firing first and couldn't allow the fallen CEO to win. Clearly in the gargoyle form, Obadiah seems to revel in his sadistic pleasures more than his human counterpart. "I won't allow you to end a good man Obadiah." He spoke calmly.

Obadiah turned his golden eyes to Slade, looking at the bullet aimed to his shoulder. The shell was dented, falling and caused the large creature to cackle. "Was that supposed to hurt me?"

Gado just grinned, using the energy within him to transform. Seeing the look on Obadiah's face, he placed his hands on the wide ankle. "No, but I'm sure this will!" His voice deepened as he transformed into a humanoid lion. His claws dug deep into Obadiah's leg and caused the larger zoanthrope to scream in pain.

Obadiah pulled his foot back, feeling the blood gust out. Snarling at the French zoanthrope, he was clearly angry now. "You stupid cat, I will end you now!"

Gado didn't need to know he had just found Obadiah's weakness. While in his human form, Obadiah would keep his cool and would only have to resort to it when the zoanthrope he was facing was too wild and relied on instinct. Or in this scenario, Gado learned to apply pressure to his strength and slow down Obadiah's healing factor. When seeing Obadiah in his beast form, he showed the pompous and arrogant side of his former friend. Yet underneath that vanity, was a short-tempered beast. This was the true side of Obadiah that clearly was mad at Gado and his friends for taking him down.

Obadiah slammed his fist into the ground, seeing Gado evade the attack and got punched in the face. He was starting to lose his focus, feeling the beast within him steer up. "Stand still so I can kill you!"

Gado didn't need to show his emotions. Clearly he was having fun with toying with the large gargoyle, but also getting back at him at the same time. He head butted the ugly features of the monstrous gargoyle, seeing him stumble backwards. Grabbing Obadiah's legs, he spun the bigger zoanthrope around. It was the same move Greg used on one of the Tylon guards in the raid, and figured he'd give it a shot.

Obadiah was screaming as he was whirled around effortlessly, and was let go. Using his wings to his advantage, he managed to use his feet to halt the attack. "Nice try!"

Seeing the large zoanthrope fly in the air now, he was at a clear disadvantage. Unless he could pull something else out of it and ran to the opposite side of the wall. He ran up the wall, and leapt at Obadiah.

Obadiah was confused at what Gado did, but was shocked to release what the humanoid lion did. Barely having enough time to evade the attack, he felt the lion zoanthrope land on his back. "Get off of me you filthy feline!"

Knowing Obadiah had a hard time reaching him and it worked to Gado's advantage. However, it was time to end this fight once and for all. Claws dug into the arms of the wings, hearing Obadiah roar from the immense pain. Feeling a strong rip, he tore off both of the wings.

Obadiah roared from the attack Gado performed, shocked that he actually went through with it. Landing on the ground, the golden eyes stared at the humanoid lion with rage. "You will pay with that for your life! And I'm through with you I will end your precious family!"

This was what made Gado tense, seeing Obadiah charge at him with pure rage in those eyes. When close enough, he uppercuts the large zoanthrope beast into the air. Charging up the energy within his elbow, it connected with Obadiah's face and sent him flying into the wall hard.

Obadiah was reeling from the immense pain from the attack, feeling the energy sap away and reverted to his human form. Coughing up blood, he saw Gado walk towards him as the tall proud lion. "I will… not die… so easily!" He yelled.

Watching the younger male make a jump at him, he punched his fist all the way through Obadiah's chest. Gado pulled his arm out, watching Obadiah slowly succumb to his slow death. Reverting back to his human form, the blonde man remained silent.

Obadiah clutched his chest, snickering weakly and had a wicked grin on his face. "You may have defeated me… But rest assured… It is not over."

How could it not be over? He had just beaten the fallen CEO and he watched him slowly die. "Explain yourself."

"I… grew up in… the chaos around me." Obadiah began to explain and caught up blood. "There are… people out there like me… Not from my company, but people with different… intentions. The world needed… order! I intended to… give people power… but you and your band of renegade zoanthropes… ruined it!"

"You intended to make a profit by exploiting my brethren for their strengths." Gado said as his voice was filled with anger. He despised the corrupt, and he started to feel like all the money he was paid for as a mercenary come into question.

"Judge me all you want…" Obadiah just sneered, not caring what Gado thought of him. "… But in the end, I win! Not the physical fight… but the mental battle. You know… that there will be… evil people out there, looking to cause… problems for zoanthropes. Humans will never… accept us because of what… we represent in power."

"They are merely afraid of what they don't know." Gado stated logically, clenching his fists and knew Obadiah was right. Humans would always fear his brethren and the power they wielded.

"That's right… you are a fool… to try and bridge the gap between human and zoanthrope." Obadiah cackled breathlessly, the mere idea of it was hilarious. "Co-existence… it makes me laugh. Human and zoanthrope… holding arms and accepting each other…. What a hilarious fantasy."

Something from Obadiah's words sparked something within Gado, and it wasn't a stretch. The thought of trying to bring two worlds together sounded good on paper, but it was all fantasy. Yet, was it possible to do it.

"Just know this… Even in my dying breathe I curse you with the… evils of the world." Obadiah said as he pointed his finger at Gado. "… There will always be someone just as bad as me… looking to attack zoanthropes… I may not be able to witness it, but reassured… I will look forward to the day you die!"

With his last breathe of words the CEO of the Tylon Corporation was dead. Slade had just witnessed the gruesome death of the man who plagued his family. "It's over. Obadiah is officially dead." He breathed a sigh of relief, looking to put the nightmare behind him.

"He still has his followers." Gado pointed out, knowing that he, Yugo, and everyone he knew would never rest. Fighting was all he knew, but he started to think that there were other ways to fight. Slade was a fighter as well, but he fought to bring a brighter future by helping and donating to others. "Slade… I know you said some stuff out of anger, but to be honest there was from truth to it."

"Gado, I said those things because I was frustrated with myself." Slade began to explain, feeling like he owed Gado for the kindness to show that he cared.

Gado shook his head, walking over to Slade and placed a hand on his shoulder. "No, I fought on the battlefield because I was selfish and looked to get away from my problems." He spoke, taking a deep breathe. "All these secrets I've kept… I didn't want anyone to know because of what they would do to the ones I loved. Those secrets ended up getting people killed, and I should be held accountable. It's time I stopped running and make a change."

"Gado, what are you saying?" Slade demanded, confused as to what the French zoanthrope was trying to explain.

"I'm stepping down from my status as a mercenary." Gado stated out loud, surprising even Slade that he would say such a thing. "Obadiah said there would always be others to give zoanthropes a hard time, but he left out that humans will be caught up in our mess as well. It's time I looked into things and find out myself."

…

This is it folks, the official end of the third arc! I will be typing up the epilogue and tying up some loose ends.


	13. Chapter 13: Epilogue

**Chapter 13**

 **Epilogue**

Slade was surprised by the choice of words Gado used. Knowing that he was the influence of making the older man think that way, he had to convince him other wise.

"This world needs a man like you." Slade spoke up, his silver eyes kept his eyes locked on him. "I didn't know until today you do fight for the lives of others. Whether it is for zoanthropes or humans…"

Gado looked at Slade, knowing the young businessman was taking back what he said earlier. Showing a soft smile on his face, he shook his head. "As much as I like seeing you reconsider what you've said… I feel like I should step down."

"You took on Obadiah, by yourself." Slade said, then remembering he provided the means as acting as a distraction. If it hadn't been for him, the veteran mercenary would be dead. "I may have helped in that key moment, but you did all the rest by yourself."

"Don't under sell yourself young man." Gado spoke, showing a proud smile on his face. "I've seen your emotions, and you have what it takes to bring a bright future. However, never forget that you have friends that you can count on for support."

Slade frowned as the mention at one of the words. Friends… How could Jet look at him the same way? How could his new friends look at him as well? It was one thing to be leader of the Night Brigade, but the fact that he was forced to work with their worst enemy who caused them nothing but pain.

Gado saw Slade was conflicted, and walked closer to the young male. "They'll be there for you, especially Jet." He reassured him, wrapping his arms around the avian zoanthrope. It wasn't in his nature to give out hugs, but hearing and seeing the events Slade went through he needed to show a sign that his new ally had someone to count on.

Not afraid to return the hug, Slade felt the fatherly affection the lion zoanthrope had shown. "How can you still show forgiveness after everything I've said and done?" He asked.

"Slade, while I don't tolerate people like Obadiah… I can see in your eyes you have a good soul." Gado began to explain, moving himself to be at arms length to look at Slade properly. "You have a noble spirit. You are fierce and proud but compassionate and fair. You remind me of myself."

Slade just showed a small smile, getting a mental image of Gado in a suit. "I have a feeling you aren't the business type I presume?"

"I wouldn't be caught dead at a desk." Gado chuckled, absent-mindedly rubbing his neck. He was a man who liked to be physical. To him, he would be bored out of his mind. Also the idea of wearing a necktie bothered his neck. "

Nodding his head in agreement, his gaze moved to Obadiah's lifeless body. "What do we do about him?" He asked, knowing his employees would be suspicious of a dead body being dragged throughout the building.

Gado knew Slade made a strong case, and an idea hit him. "We have to burn him… it's the only way to do so." He said, using the logical side of his mind in order to carry out an underhanded move. It was another dark secret he'd have to add to the list of things he did, but it was worth the risk.

Slade nodded his head, taking his gun out again and shot another bullet, this time into Obadiah's head. "Just in case if he decides to kill us." He said, not taking anymore chances.

…

It had been two hours since leaving Gado with Obadiah, the group of zoanthrope patiently waiting. Yugo continued to sit in the lobby, thinking that he should've been the one to back Gado up and the scenarios going through his head. His father's killer could be decimating the proud lion and might turn him into a mindless soldier.

Yugo let a low growl escape, having the urge to stand up and he did. "He needs my help." He spoke up, catching Alice's attention. "I can't just sit by and let him do the fighting!"

Alice saw her boyfriend move, but pulled him back down. "Yugo, if you go charging in without a plan you could die to." She stated seriously, her red eyes on him.

"I'd listen to her if I was you." Jet said, sitting across from Yugo and Alice. While his girlfriend was outside blowing off steam, he mentally cringed at what she was doing. He asked Jenny to keep an eye on her, and knowing those two were a bad mix. However, the bat zoanthrope reassured him she would make sure the leopard stayed out of trouble. "It's never wise to argue with a woman, especially with your girlfriend. Trust me, I learn the hard way."

Yugo looked at Jet with a mixture of comical stammering and surprise. "Oh like your one to talk, Mr. Daredevil!" He said in a huff, hearing from Shina and Alice how the T-Rex jumped from a tall building to body slam Maarku. Seeing Jet chuckle sheepishly, he raised an eyebrow. "What? You do stunts for a living?"

Jet looked to see if anyone was around, but leaned close so he could whisper it to them. "Don't tell anyone this, but… My parents don't know I do motorcycle stunts for the underworld as a night gig."

Now it was Alice's turn to whack Jet on the side of the head, her red eyes focused on him. "That's the most dangerous career you chose! Maybe I should rat you out to your parents." She said, seeing Jet hold his hands up in defense.

"Well… maybe I should sue you for slapping me upside the head." Jet joked with a grin, with Alice already close to his face who was glaring daggers at him. The tall American shrunk back, thinking the violet-haired woman was more dangerous than Shina.

Yugo couldn't help but snicker, seeing the way his rabbit was intimidating the T-Rex zoanthrope. To imagine that a cute bunny could push around a giant lizard was too funny. "Hey Jet, what exactly do you want to pursue as a career?"

Jet looked at Yugo, averting Alice's dangerous glare. "I plan on being a lawyer. It's why I'm doing the daredevil stuff to earn money and hand the college I go to with cash. Plus with any luck, I can retire early."

Alice looked at Jet with surprise, amazed that such an off-shot of Yugo had brains underneath that bravado. "You really have a future planned out for yourself, don't you?"

"Well yeah, Tony helps me find gigs and we split the profits fifty-fifty." Jet explained to Alice about the partnership he had. "When my cage fight match comes up, I'm dropping the whole daredevil thing and focusing on school full time. After the resent events that took place, I'm ready to step away from crazy adventures and blend in."

Yugo smiled at Jet, not for the decision he was making but looking to know that he was able to make this choice on his own free will. "But you are still going to still do crazy stunts, right?"

Alice looked at Yugo with shock, slapping his arm at the mere thought of that. "Ignore my boyfriend. He tends to think with his mouth than with his own brain." She said as her own beau made a pouty face and ignored it.

"Actually, being a 'daredevil' is in my blood." Jet said, getting a real hard whack in the head by Alice and covered the spot that she hit. He wondered how Yugo wasn't able to suffer any damage from the hits he took from the rabbit.

"You are extremely lucky Shina doesn't break your legs." Alice stated seriously, knowing that if Jet was dating her he'd be 'grounded' by her.

"What are you, my mother?" Jet was cut off by the death glare he was getting from the rabbit zoanthrope. "I'm curious how a rabbit like you is scarier than your wolf of a boyfriend?"

Yugo let out an exaggerated sigh, pulling Alice onto her lap and chuckled. It seemed the dinosaur zoanthrope really was a 'daredevil' in the mouth department. Hearing him speak the truth is what Yugo would say if he wasn't grounded. "Let's say Alice knows how to keep me in check." He said and touched her hair. This would help calm her down, knowing she been through enough of these events.

…

On the other side of the lobby, Elsa kept her eyes on Clint. Alfred was spending some one on one time with Fox after the whole Night Brigade fiasco was almost over. It was an awkward silence between the two, not knowing what to say to each other. The blonde British zoanthrope looked at Alfred, sensing the other's uncomfortable position. This awkwardness would not disappear, so he decided to take manners into his own hands.

"If you have something on your mind, it's best to get it off your mind." Fox spoke up, seeing Alfred give him a slight gaze. It was a small effort, but he knew he needed to do more.

Alfred sighed inwardly, blue eyes focused on the older male. "Did you ever think about the choices you make have consequences?"

"I made my own choices and feel guilty for what I did. Yet that doesn't stop me from trying to live life each day." The effeminate man spoke, his own stare on him showing a tone of seriousness. "And you're one to talk. Don't you feel any shame with what you do for your job? You came at me without a second thought."

"What MI: 6 does is for the greater good." Alfred spoke up, his blue eyes on the older man. "Yet I'm not so sure anymore… And MI: 6 had nothing to do with this. I came after you on my own… it was the director that wanted me to stay away from the Tylon Corporation."

Fox was curious by Alfred's sudden choice of words. "You came after me on your own… I'm impressed."

Alfred moved towards Fox, meeting him face to face and was very close to him. "That maybe true, but all I could think about was you." He said, seething in anger but started to soften a bit. "When I read all of your biography on the Tylon database, I felt sorry for you and you want to know why. No one was there to help you, and it wasn't right… So I blocked it out and if I set aside those feelings the sympathy I felt for a killer wouldn't be there."

Fox continued to hear Alfred talk, and took a deep breathe. Yes, his parents were not there to raise him, but the choices he made were his own.

"I had no choice. Back when I lived in the slums… I chose to survive by being ruthless and not show weakness." Fox began to explain his side of the story. "When Tylon came along, I jumped on that ship because they offered me things the street couldn't provide."

Alfred moved closer to Fox, taking both his hands into his own. Searching into those eyes, he knew the fox zoanthrope was telling the truth. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips into the older man's lips and kissed him deeply.

Fox wasn't taken aback by the kiss. Ever since he laid eyes on Alfred, he was already smitten by the frost-haired agent. She started to see Elsa develop a strong friendship with him, and what the eighteen-year old female had on him was a crush. Wrapping his slender arms around Alfred, he returned the kiss briefly and pulled back. "It doesn't feel awkward the man you tried to kill is the one you're kissing?"

Alfred felt his cheeks flush, but he merely smiled. "Let's think about that later, and enjoy the moment." He said, holding Fox close to him. Despite their difference in height, he pulled the taller male close to him. In his mind, he wanted this and thankfully he could keep this away from the director.

…

On the outside, Shina was trying to get some alone time to herself. She couldn't believe her own father was jumping in head first into a battle he couldn't win. In her mind, she didn't want to feel useless and wanted to do something.

"You know, worrying will give you wrinkles." A familiar sultry voice spoke up, earning the attention of Shina. The bat zoanthrope couldn't help smirk, but she knew her daughter needed to calm down before she did something she'd regret. "You should know your father can hold his own."

"He's facing a man who was behind the kidnapping of my boyfriend, and every bad thing he did." Shina began to vent out her frustrations to the British woman. Her icy blue eyes glared at her, thinking she had some nerve to step into her own personal business. "And you have a lot of nerve telling me like you knew my father. I've never seen or hear him mention you before."

Jenny chuckled, keeping her mysterious smile up front. "Your father and I have… history." She began to explain, but paused whether to tell her the truth or not. As much as she wanted to outright tell Jane she was her mother, she couldn't do that. The blonde tomboy seemed to have made a life for herself, and to reveal such secrets would have her whole world crumbling down. There would be a lot of questions she'd be demanding, and knowing the situation it was best to leave those mysteries unanswered. "Listen, I know him better than you because… I owe him that much for saving me from that corporation."

Shina looked at Jenny, her features starting to soften slightly. The Tylon Corporation seemed to affect a lot of people in negative ways. Seeing the older woman feel uncomfortable with mentioning her past, it was best to change the subject. "My dad does have a habit of inspiring people… I guess that's why I want to be like him. I mean, to help people where others are afraid to go."

"Yes, he certainly has that affect on people." Jenny giggled lightly, but her gaze turned to the leopard zoanthrope. "You mentioned having a boyfriend… Was it that T-Rex zoanthrope that battled Obadiah?"

Shina let a proud smirk show, hard to believe her own boyfriend had the form of something bigger than her father. "Yeah, he is something." She said, her smirk turned into a comical scowl. "I'm still pissed he dive bombed Maarku off of a building. He's lucky he's still walking otherwise I'd break his legs!"

Jenny couldn't help but laugh at Shina's anger, surprised and amused that someone did such a thing. "My, such a man of action, and he sounds like quite the daredevil."

"He's lucky I don't call his parents." Shina snorted, not wanting to reveal to Jenny that Jet did crazy stunts in general. Having cooled down, she was surprised that she was actually talking with this woman that she supposedly hated. Wanting to ask her some more questions, she saw Yugo enter outside and caught his breathe. "What's wrong? Is dad okay?"

Yugo shook his head, holding his hand up and caught his breathe. "Gado and Slade are back."

Jenny couldn't help but smile. So Gado finally put an end to this nightmare. With Obadiah dead, she could finally blend back into the shadows. However, she wanted to be around him and see if she could restore some flames to their lost love. Turning her gaze to Shina, she winked at her. "Told you, have faith in your father."

Shina merely nodded her head, smiling inwardly. Not wanting to show it, but she was happy her father was still in one piece. More importantly, she wouldn't go after Slade for the stuff he made them jump through. It would've been easy if he'd opened up, but to know he was the 'leader' of the Night Brigade made her want to ask some questions.

…

As Gado exited the elevator, he saw everyone gather around him. Seeing the looks he was being given, he merely smiled. "I swear I'm not dead." He reassured them. Upon seeing one person in front of him, it was none other than his daughter. "Shina… I know you have a lot of questions on your mind."

Shina didn't say anything. All she did was hugging her father and buried her face into his chest. Not caring if it was in public, she fought back her tears and sniffed. "Don't ever do that again old man." She muttered in a low voice, only meant for his ears.

Knowing that she actually meant it, he returned the hug. It was best not to retort, knowing he'd be ruining the moment and Jenny wouldn't let him down.

"So that's it then, he's officially gone?" Yugo asked and his chestnut brown eyes on Gado. Not having witnessed the fight, he presumed Gado killed Obadiah. He knew he didn't have that killer instinct in him, but he knew the blonde mercenary did. Seeing the older man nod his head, he let out a sigh. _'So my dad's spirit can finally find peace.'_ He concluded in his mind.

"I want to know is how Obadiah knows you." Alice spoke up, her red eyes on Gado. This time they weren't filled with suspicion, but mostly curiosity. Having been through all this mess, it seemed that Tylon connected them all in some weird way. "Well?"

Gado sighed, knowing he owed everyone an explanation. "I won't reveal everything, and God knows I'll take these secrets to the grave with me. Some are personal, but I can answer you this. Obadiah was someone I thought I could consider a friend, but his lust for power was shown the day I transformed. He started his company in order replicate that same power. While he wanted to make a profit out of it, he also wanted to bring order."

"No thanks, I prefer this world to be free of tyrants like him." Yugo shook his head, not understanding why people who craved to bring order in such a twisted manner. Nonetheless, it was something he didn't want to partake in.

Fox didn't want to spoil the moment, but he cleared his voice and caught Gado's attention. "Not to put a wet blanket on this 'victory party', but my job at the law firm is probably wondering where I am and heaven forbid I get fired."

Gado looked at Fox, knowing the blonde male made a fair point. Turning his gaze to Clint, he showed a slight smirk as a plan formulated into his brain. "I think I may have an idea."

…

Managing to get some time alone, Slade was able to meet with Jet, Alice, and Yugo. Somehow Jet was able to worm his way into their hearts, telling he instantly got along with the wolf and rabbit zoanthrope in a hitch. Clearing his throat, he looked at all three of them with his silver eyes. "I owe all three of you an apology."

Jet looked at Slade with curiosity, but remembered his childhood friend confessed to being the leader of the Night Brigade. "You don't owe me anything."

Slade was shocked that Jet said such a thing, thinking he was responsible for everything that happened. "Jet, I led you and everyone you care about into this mess. Surely you'd want an explanation as to why I did what I did."

"I should be pissed, but…" Jet took a deep breathe, knowing there was a hefty number of people Slade had taken down for Obadiah. He should be furious, that the blonde businessman murdered the Tylon Corporation's ex-employees in cold blood. Yet, he knew Slade always despised the injustice and always looked to make people like that pay. "… It's in your nature to help people. However, I do think you need to make things right with these two."

Jerking his thumb to Yugo and Alice, both look at Slade with calm looks in their eyes. Alice was obviously holding it together, but Yugo remained deathly calm.

Before it was over, hearing that Slade kissed Alice from Obadiah should make Yugo mad as hell. The blonde man hid his zoanthrope abilities and position as the Night Brigade's leader a secret as well. However, the fact that Slade admitted that he understood and accepted that Alice's heart belonged to Yugo and that Slade defended him from Obadiah's attack. The brunette should be furious, wanting to make the older man pay. However, he wanted to listen to Slade's side of the story.

Alice focused on Slade, staying by Yugo's side and held his hand. She knew that what Slade did was wrong, and he was lucky her boyfriend didn't see it. Yet here they were in the open, talking about it now. "Slade, I know it's not easy, but we can't pretend like it didn't happen."

Slade reluctantly sighed, nodding his head in defeat. He knew Alice made a strong point. "I know… Yugo, I'm sorry I kissed Alice." He began to apologize, crossing his arms and folding them. "I did it so I could sell my 'slimy appearance', but a part of me wanted to kiss her. When she talked to me, I never saw someone so… caring and warm-hearted. I think subconsciously, I wanted what Jet had and I felt like I missed out on some things I was so wrapped up in being blackmailed."

Jet was surprised Slade admitted what he felt out loud, feeling guilty for being a cause in this. "Slade, if I offended you with my relationship…"

Slade cut his friend off by waving his hand. "You and Shina had zero involvement in this. I support you and everything you've done to build that relationship."

"And yet at the time you didn't support me and Alice?" Yugo asked as he crossed and folded his arms over his chest. While it wasn't out of anger, he was very serious and patiently waited for Slade to finish his story.

"After I saw the way you came to Alice I was jealous." Slade said, clenching his arms tightly with his hands. "However, you thanked me for watching over her and the way you said it… It came from the heart. I know Jet says nice things to make people happy, but the way you showed your own kindness… I felt touched and at the same time I felt like I didn't deserve it."

Alice looked at Slade with her red eyes, as they softened and walked over to him. "You shouldn't be so hard on yourself… Yugo cares for everyone. It's rare that when I met you, I thought you could use a friend… I'll admit the kiss did shock me, but I suppose we're all human and want things we don't have." She said as her hand touched his arm.

Slade cringed at the rabbit zoanthrope's touch, feeling like he didn't deserve it anymore after what he did. "Yet your heart belongs to him." He spoke up, his silver eyes ripping away from her gaze. "I know it does, the way you two look and are around each other… That's the sign of love right there."

Yugo could see Slade was still reeling from his feelings being rejected. Walking over to the falcon zoanthrope, he placed both hands on the older man's shoulders. "Putting 'love' aside… I should be extremely mad, and I have every urge to make you pay." He said in a low voice.

Jet and Alice caught Yugo's words, seeing draw closer to Slade. They thought they were going to have to pull the two apart, but out of surprise the wolf zoanthrope pulled the taller male into a tight embrace.

This shocked Slade, who was surprised Yugo did such a kind gesture. He wrapped his own arms around the Japanese boxer, and took in his warm scent. _'Wow…Now, I can see why Alice loves getting hugs from him.'_ He concluded in his minds. The hug was strong, but gentle.

Yugo slowly let go, his chestnut eyes met with the silver ones of the falcon. "I want you to know, I hold back because of Alice." He said firmly, a tone of seriousness in them but lingered with kindness in them. "I know I'm not rich, run a business, cool-headed or have a business degree like you… But I'm doing everything I can to raise a brother and be in a relationship with someone I love."

Slade nodded his head lightly, sensing Yugo was telling the truth. They weren't so different he and him. Even though they came from two different worlds, there were similarities there. "Just don't jump in head first in the heat of the moment."

Yugo's face became deadpan in a comical way with an anime vein on his forehead. Punching Slade lightly in the shoulder, growling lowly and had flames in his eyes. "That's it I'm officially making you the thanksgiving turkey!" He exclaimed in a comical angry way.

Alice couldn't help but giggle, knowing Yugo didn't mean it. "Thanks for understanding Slade." She said, and leaned close to his ear. "And thanks for making the moment not too 'sappy'. It was getting a little too close for being cheesy."

Slade nodded his head in understanding, his silver eyes going back to Yugo. He held his hands up in defense and apologized. It was best to go with the moment, feeling like he was at least making amends and it wasn't easy. However, he knew in the future to never ever kiss Alice again.

…

The next two days pass as everyone departures back to their own home and resume their mundane lives. However, Gado, Jenny, Alfred, and Fox return to England and go into the headquarters of MI: 6. Gado immediately went to the director's office, wanting to get the exact details correct. Jenny had told him everything, and this made the veteran mercenary's mind uneasy.

Upon entering the director's office, his eyes landed on an aging man in his sixties and in a formal black suit sit behind a desk. "I take it the Night Brigade situation has been contained?"

"It turns out the Night Brigade was connected with Tylon." Gado spoke up, keeping the door closed. He walked over to the director, his large frame inches away from the desk and towering the man. "And I don't mean the company."

The director looked at Gado, his body remained calm but his eyes became steel-like and focused on the French male.

"The CEO of the company was pulling the strings." Gado explained, hands on the director's desk and leaned in closer. "Not only that, but I came across a list of people he associated himself with. Your name is on that list… Director Bedlam."

Bedlam narrowed his gaze at Gado, seething in anger and stood up. "I made sure Alfred wasn't in his service."

"No, you allowed your own son to be experimented on and you used him as a weapon!" Gado accused Bedlam, pointing his finger at him. "And in order to keep your silence about the whole thing, Tylon paid you and in return you didn't pursue them!"

"I don't know who told you this, but that is none of your business!" Bedlam snapped, hearing a clap as turned around and looked at Jenny. Seeing her with a recording device around her waist, he cast his head downwards. "What do you want me to do? Turn myself in?"

"No, you've done some good things." Gado said, knowing the director of MI: 6's reputation would be tarnished. "Set up a meeting and tell everyone you are retiring."

Bedlam looked at Gado, having a feeling there was more. "Is there anything else?"

"There was a young man named Edward Neal that was kidnapped by the Night Brigade while one of their operatives was here in England." Jenny began to explain, leaning against the book frame and smiled at Bedlam. "He was saved by your top agent, Alfred, and we were wondering if you could give him a promotion and see if you could get Edward's job reinstated?"

"Fine, I'll do it and even if it means to get you two off my backs!"

Gado watched the director leave his office, turning his gaze to Jenny. "That was a pretty bold move."

"Well Alfred did reveal some crucial information." Jenny confessed, taking a deep breathe and walked over to Gado. Placing a hand on his arm, she rubbed it and sighed. "Where do we go from here?"

Gado felt Jenny touch her arm, instantly wrapping an arm around her body in return. Looking down at her, he smiled gently. "Well, with Obadiah out of the picture… I want to resume where we left off. That is if you'll take me back?"

Jenny felt her heart flutter on the inside, but she merely smiled on the outside to maintain her poker face. "Now that is an idea I like very much."

…

Clint was being transferred by the police. Being decorated in high-tech handcuffs courtesy of Atlas International, the spider zoanthrope kept the same expression on his face for those hours. After seeing Maarku get dropped by the boss of the Tylon Corporation, he was glad the orca met his end. Also he had to record a 'confession' that he was the mastermind behind the Night Brigade attacks. Also it ticked him off that Elsa got a clean slate and was allowed to stay here in America to pursue a new life such as going back to high school.

Then there was Busuzima's deal, which was still on the table. Going his group would mean that he'd have to take orders. No, he was sick and tired of being everyone's puppet. If that slimy reptile could lead his own group, so could he.

Feeling the truck stop, one of the guards complained about the amount of traffic, this gave Clint a chance to formulate a plan. Swinging his arms at the guard, he smashed his ribs. Using the ability to morph, the extra arms gave him the advantage. He grabbed the gun, shooting the guards in the back and the driver in the front.

Pulling his fist back, he punches the lock on the doors. Reverting back into his human form, he got one of the guards' uniforms and switched outfits. Now blending in with the crowd, he just let a smirk cross his lips. The officer that took Clint's place would have to take the fall.

' _They haven't seen the last me. It's time to strike out on my own.'_ Clint logically thought in his mind, figuring he'd need a new set of clothes to ditch the police officer's uniform and burn them. Too bad he didn't think about taking his Night Brigade uniform as well, not liking the idea of being in the group. Then again, being on the 'right side of the law' was fun while it lasted. Still, the idea of being paid for dirty jobs was a good way to make money and start over.

…

All the way on the other side of the world, it was already night time in Japan. A certain chameleon blended in within the darkness, arriving at his warehouse and saw that a group of men were there. They were the recruits that Elsa brought to the Night Brigade to be trained. Good thing he programmed those escape pods to go to Japan. "So, what can I do for you tough gentlemen?"

"We heard rumors the Night Brigade promised us power, but got nothing out of the deal." One of the grunts spoke up.

"They said we were going to change the world and I want payback on them!" The second grunt spoke up.

Busuzima raised his hands, trying to simmer down the crowd of angry grunts. "Now calm down!" He shouted, gaining their attention. "I, the great Dr. Busuzima, have a different goal in mine!"

"Oh yeah, what's that?"

"I am a scientist, one that gave the Night Brigade their beast forms." The Mohawk-haired scientist explained, hearing doubts in their voices. Looking to convince them, he transformed into a chameleon to make his point. Then he reverted back into a human. "Now, I will give you this power under one condition."

"We'll do anything!"

"Yeah, just give us the power!"

"Now now, I didn't finish yet." Busuzima cut them off, going over to one of the tubes. In it was a man with long black hair, and his privates became obscured by the men crowding the test tube. "This man right here… ShenLong, is your true leader. Right now he is… sleeping so that he may reach full power after he is 'healed'. I will give you power under the condition you give him your undying loyalty to him! We will show the world the power of zoanthropes, and we will not tolerate the 'humans' who have discriminated against you for being weak. The Zoanthrope Liberation Front will cleanse the hate and show those who are better than us our might!"

"Yeah, power to the ZLF!"

Busuzima heard the cheers and jeers from these humans, so easily manipulated. So he had finally gotten his troops, all he needed was to awake his creation. It was obvious that Clint wasn't here to partake in this glorious event. _'Oh well, I have plenty of grunts to do my work. After all, they are expandable…Oh, and the name ZLF does add a nice ring to it!'_

…

Well, this is it folks! The official conclusion to my story! I know it seems rushed in some areas, but those lingering threads will be pissed up in my next story. However, that won't be for awhile because real life beacons. I am going to focus on doing one-shots to keep my BR muse flowing. It will be non-canon and not related to my story whatsoever. Yet I might do some OC's paired with the BR cast that I've wanted to explore for awhile. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this story and I might do some edits in the chapters to maybe wrap up those loose threads depending on the time and energy I have. ;)


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